This is work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Copyright© Avery Song , 2021

All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or used in any manner without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

The publisher is not responsible for website (or their content) that are not own by the publisher.

This eBook/Paperback is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook/Paperback may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient.

Cover Design by Yocla Cover Designs

Editing by: Rainlyt Editing

Proof Edits: Norma’s Nook Proofing LLC

Formatting: Avery S.

CONTENTS

Wolf Tamer Blurb

HARPER BLAKE

Prologue: Run

1.  Lost And Found

2.  Finding A Place To Call Home

3.  Ian Chestwood And Wolfie

4.  Sacred Moon Shelter For Endangered Wolves

5.  Watchful Guardian

6.  Adopted And Celebration

7.  True Forms And Our Little Secret

8.  Wolf Tamer And Boyfriends?

9.  Protect From Evil And He’s Mine

10.  Consequences And One Day

11.  First Time Alone

12.  Heated Passion Between Lovers

13.  Officially Mine

14.  Alleyway Problems For A Trouble Maker

15.  Growing Up As A Wolf Tamer

16.  Bad People And Together Forever

17.  Lunch Prep And Dessert

18.  Solar Runs And Study Gossip

19.  Study Buzz And Claiming My Own

20.  Night Of Freedom And Dual Princes Of The Party

21.  Race And Protection Control

22.  Heated Betrayal And Remember

23.  Girlfriend Versus Fated Mate

24.  Aspect Of The Truth And Future Safe Haven

25.  That’s Our Girl And Claiming My Pack

STAY CONNECTED

WOLF CROWNED

PROLOGUE: KIDNAPPED THE RING LEADER

ABOUT AVERY SONG

Also By Avery Song

WOLF TAMER BLURB

An Orphan Girl. A Group of Wolves. A Destined Fate of War.

Don’t you ever wish to find where you belong? A place where you can rest your head without worrying about being jumped or your possessions being taken from you? It wasn’t like I had much, to say the least.

A pendant, an ancient blade, and a picture of my murdered family were all I had left when I was five years old. Foster homes to homeless shelters, I never found a place of refuge. I simply didn’t belong, and everyone made it their duty to remind me of my predicament, until I finally came across a place that felt like home.

Sacred Moon Shelter for Endangered Wolves.

I’d stumbled upon the sanctuary when I was near death, but I was miraculously saved.

Since then, I’d become a Wolf Tamer; the only one who could get close to touching the six rare breeds. When I was with them, I felt safe and sometimes wished I could be like one of them and escape this cruel world.

But such inhumanity strikes close to home, a group of hunters shows up, ready to take my wolves to an unknown place or murder them in cold blood. I won’t allow them to kill the only true family I’ve ever known.

My name is Harper Blake, and I vow to claim and protect my own.

Was that what I’m waiting for?

For my moment to glow brilliantly and enjoy my time being above everything that wished to keep me in the dark?

PROLOGUE: RUN

Faster. Faster. FASTER!

The scorching heat of fearful desperation made my legs feel like they were on fire as I raced forward. Each step made a rustling sound as I ran as fast as my little legs could carry me.

No matter how hard my heart hammered against my chest, or how fast I took each breath to expand my lungs that begged for a moment’s break, I knew that stopping was not an option.

There was no way I could possibly stop now. Not with so much at risk and nowhere to hide.

Stopping will land me in the shadows of death.

One wrong move and I’d disappear like the rest of my family. I was the last survivor, the sole carrier of my family’s legacy, and there was no way I could allow the two men chasing me to possess what I carried.

The two men who murdered my family in cold blood.

There were so many questions about why this was all happening, but there was no time for my five-year-old self to process it all. What repeated in my mind was what had occurred only moments earlier: my eyes watching those men kill each of my loved ones.

How foolish I’d been to not remain silent. The slip of the whimper that was as quiet as a mouse was the blaring confirmation that those men had missed one more being.

It wasn’t my fault - the squeak of sound leaving my lips as I watched them kill Mommy - but it led to this fighting chase that would either give me another day of life or bring me to the hands of Death himself where my family now laid upon unjust soil.

Now I ran. I ran hard, fast, and with the lingering hope I’d be able to protect this precious blade. The ancient dagger my parents told me to protect, along with the sacred pendant Mommy told me to always wear were with me. Adding the only picture I could grab before I jumped out of the window and escaped into the forest, these were the precious items of my past I’d now left behind.

The happy laughter, the playful banter, the warm meals, and sweet lullabies. They’re all gone…and I can’t understand why.

Running was always my favorite activity, but right here and now, it was all I had left to try to get the upper hand. If my legs failed me, my favorite activity would be no more than a memory.

Just like me….

A loud sound pierced through the air, igniting a shriek that boosted my adrenaline even further as I ran harder than I’d thought possible. Watching my loved ones perish only proved something I’d never thought about.

Dying. I don’t want to die.

The mere thought made my heart clench as fear trickled through me in the hopes of crippling my will to survive.

I can’t die. Mom said that I must protect our legacy! Why couldn’t she tell me what that was? Why are these men after me? We did nothing wrong. We’re good. Why is this all happening? Where are you, Mommy? Why isn’t Daddy here to help me? Brother? Where are you all? I need help. I can’t run much longer. They’ll catch me. I can’t-

Another burst of sound cut through the atmosphere, and with it came a piercing pain that ran right through me. A scream left my throat as the pain sparked through me.

Each breath that followed was as though the air was fighting to remain inside me. There was a leak, and the flowing movement of something warm beginning to drench my white dress.

My brain told me to run faster, and my limbs should have cooperated, but whatever was happening to my body contributed to the spinning whirlwind as my pace began to slow on its own accord.

No. Must keep going.

The fierce reminder was what pushed me forward, and I kept going even as the world grew darker. I was surely approaching my limit. By the time I could get a grip on my surroundings, it was far too late: I was approaching a cliff.

Oh no!

My feet hammered into the muddy ground as I skidded to a stop right before the edge, but another bang of sound rang through the air, and I stumbled as I was hit by the force that injured me before.

The attack jolted my little body forward, and all I could do was gasp while my body was graced with another hole. With nothing to catch me, my body fell forward - right over the edge and towards the ground.

Everything happened so fast and yet felt like I was in slow-motion all at the same time. When I hit the solid surface, my ears caught onto the sickening cracks that I was sure weren’t from mere branches.

Before I could acknowledge what the sounds were related to, I was crippled by pain.

Loads and loads of agonizing pain.

This was nowhere near close to when I’d fallen down and scraped my knee. Or those times when I got so sick that sneezing hurt. The pain was indescribable and left me frozen as I mentally fought to survive and fight the pull towards sleep.

Warm liquid was beginning to leave me from various areas, and the longer I remained in that very spot, the more the warm liquid pooled beneath me. As the seconds ticked away, my body grew weaker until I struggled to even breathe. The world around me seemed to drop in temperature, making me wish I had brother’s coat to wrap around me.

Am I getting colder because the warm liquid is leaving my body? Why can’t I stop it? It’s so cold. Why is it leaving my body when I wish to stay warm? Mommy, everything hurts. Help me.

The sound of footsteps reached my ears from above, and my body seemed to grow tense as I shut my eyes tightly. I was afraid to make another sound while my body became a motionless statue.

If I remained in this very spot, they wouldn’t see me. I’d be invisible, just like Daddy said whenever we played Hide and Seek. I wouldn’t make a sound. I’d stay and wait until I was all alone.

Then I’ll find help to save them.

“YOU IDIOTS!” a rough, authoritative voice snarled, the words echoing all around, causing a few birds to chirp in fear.

“S-She fell over the cliff,” another man stated.

“Oh, really, Sherlock? You think I didn’t see that?!” Those words were followed with a grunt, and a sighing sound followed.

“She was going to get away, sir,” a third voice announced calmly.

“She’s dead now! Defeats the fucking purpose! We need that dagger!”

“I doubt that child had it. We should go search the house before the scent of blood reaches the pack in these parts.”

“You’re lucky you got the damn brains, or I’d kill both of you tonight!” the loud man huffed. “Let’s go!”

“B-But aren’t we going to finish the job?”

“And risk being caught in the process? These parts are dangerous for a reason. No fucking thanks.”

“The scoundrel is going to die anyway. There’s no one here for miles. She’ll be mauled by the wild wolves, and if they find her body, they’ll assume she was attacked by an animal or something. We’ll tell the boss she killed herself or some shit. No one will know,” the authoritative man concluded.

“Fine. I’m done with chasing her anyways.”

“We should have just shifted and gotten this one over with quick. Too bad, though. She’s a fast runner.”

“More like dangerous. The harder they are to kill at this age, the more lethal they’ll be once they grow up. Look how hard it was to kill the boy. If she lived, we’d be fucked. We have enough problems thanks to rebellious children,” the authoritative man complained. “Let’s go. Make sure not to leave any evidence behind.”

“Yes, sir.”

Their footsteps began to fade, but even as the world around me dimmed to a lulling silence, I didn’t dare move. To be truthfully honest, I wasn’t sure I could move.

Minutes passed and I remained where I was, terrified to open my eyes and see those men and the man who had to be their boss standing before me - ready to kill me.

Mommy. Daddy. Brother. Why aren’t you here yet? I’m in pain. It hurts. So cold.

It took a few extra minutes for me to gather enough courage to open my eyes. I searched with my blurry vision before I worked hard to lift my head and make sure I was really alone. All that did was send more shockwaves of pain, making my agony worse.

I need help. I have to find someone to help me and my family. Someone…

With gritted teeth, I muffled my screams as I forced myself to turn over and rest on my stomach. The action made me want to cry, but my urge to shed tears was cut dramatically by fear as my eyes took in the pool of dark black liquid.

The metallic scent seemed to hit me right there and then, as though my very sense of smell decided to acknowledge what seemed to grow beneath me. I automatically scrunched my face in fear and disgust as my sluggish brain realized what this thick substance was.

Blood. My…blood.

The realization sent panic through me, and I knew if I didn’t get help soon, I wouldn’t be able to save my family. Using my upper body strength, I began to drag my lower half, which felt numb. I wished to make my legs work, but they wouldn’t respond to the mere thought of trying to get up.

Faster. Faster. Pull and drag. Pull and drag.

Thinking of the very motion was aiding me as I dragged myself further along the muddy ground. It was getting far more difficult as the sensations I once felt in my limbs were beginning to grow numb and cold as I fought to move past the twigs and moist surface of the forest.

My vision was the next to decline as the growing sting of my sadness and fear contributed to the pooling tears in my eyes.

I fought through it all as I kept pushing myself to keep going, for I knew what I wished to be my ending after all of this.

Forward. Forward. I want to live, which means I have to move forward. That’s all I need to do. To move forward. Just keep going. I’ll find someone. I have to…

Time seemed to fade away along with all the sensations, leaving me unsure as to how long I’d been dragging my body through the thick forest.

It was getting harder to breathe. The air struggled to go through my bleeding nostrils, and what little air did get in only left my body from my two wounds.

My body grew heavier, making it far too difficult to drag myself anymore. I tried, but I finally came to a stop. I couldn’t move any longer. I’d stopped functioning, my limbs finally losing all feeling while my mind buzzed in a fearful frenzy.

That was when I began to choke, leaving me no choice but to cough hard. The action prompted a stream of blood to escape my mouth and fall onto the ground.

All I could do was stare at it, the prickling wave of fear beginning to creep in as I finally realized the ultimate truth.

I’m dying.

I blinked a few times as if I were hallucinating and only stuck in a bad nightmare. This had to be some sort of dream, but as I lay there in the cool depths of the night, surrounded by the trees and wilderness, I had no choice but to face reality.

This is real. I’m dying. I can’t save my family. I can’t help them.

Clamping my teeth together in preparation for the worst, I rolled onto my back, which only shot more pain through me until I realized what a bad idea that was. Blood began to pool in my mouth, and I quickly turned my head to the side, allowing it to drain as my tears streamed down my warm cheeks.

Why?

Why did they kill them? Why did they wish to kill me? What did we do? We’re good people! Mommy saved animals. Daddy was a leader. Brother wanted to do what Mommy did. He wanted to lead and save animals who were being hunted.

Was being good bad?

Did we do something wrong?

All I could do was lift my head so I could stare upwards. The sky was swarmed with twinkling stars, and I finally noticed the massive full moon that looked so beautiful against the serene background.

It didn’t matter that my vision was still blurred by my tears that continued to flow like running faucets. I could still see the wondrous beauty it carried.

Out of nowhere, a loud, howling sound came from the distance, though it sounded not too far away. I was sure if I could move an inch of my body, I would have flinched, but even that was taken away from me thanks to these men who hurt me and my family for no reason.

I feared that the sound came from some sort of animal. A dog or even a wolf.

More tears spilled down my cheeks at the mere thought, my mind absorbing my current predicament and my approaching future that was surely leading down a path of death. I’d either die from the blood I’d lost, or a wolf would eat me for dinner.

Dinner.

We had our last meal together. Mommy, Daddy, Brother. My dear family, all of us laughing and smiling. I told them about my dream to help animals. I wanted to heal them like Mommy, and be a leader and protect them like Daddy. Brother said he’d teach me all the ropes. We were going to help the world together.

We would do good.

Spread goodness in the world.

So…

How did it come down to this?

Waiting for death was probably the hardest part, listening to the beat of my heart that still raced and occasionally turning my head to the side to spit more blood when it became uncomfortable.

I got so exhausted from the frequent head turns, and after what may have been the fifth time, I mentally decided it would be my last.

The world around me was cold, dark, and lonely. It made me miss my family, and all I wished, for now, was to go home. To be tucked into my warm bed and be read bedtime stories by Mommy and Brother. I craved night kisses from Daddy and hugs from each of them.

I just wanted to do good and be happy.

My lips trembled from the cold, and it became hard to keep my eyes open as they grew heavier. I fought to keep them open a little longer, to take in the glowing circle in the sky for a few more seconds as the stars twinkled, but that was when I heard a low growl.

The rustling sound of the bushes was followed by the breaking of branches, alerting me that something or someone was here, but it was far too late now.

Death was imminent. All I could hope now was that the rest of my family had already walked upon that road so I could meet them on the other side.

They’re dead. I just have to accept it.

They were murdered.

Killed…and there’s no way I’ll be able to get payback.

I somehow gathered the strength to move my hand to the tiny pouch that had been strapped around me. I didn’t think I had an ounce of strength left, but this was its moment to shine as I pulled out the dagger I was entrusted to protect.

There were only two options now. I’d either protect myself or finish the job. They were both pretty sad options for a child like me, but they were all I had.

So…so…sad.

Another growl glided through the air, this one louder than before. It triggered more tears to flow as I prepared for death.

Something licked my forehead, and the action was beyond gentle and so unexpected that it left me in a state of confusion that piqued my curiosity.

My eyes opened slowly, those heavy lids deciding to comply with my wishes one last time. The blurred image before me began to clear, and for a brief moment, I took in the pair of bright silver eyes that glowed as enchantingly as the Moon herself.

A wolf…

Whether it was its very eyes or the way the moonlight shone down upon us, I knew without a doubt that this wolf’s eyes gave off the saddest expression a creature of the wilderness could carry.

Sadness that I’m going to die.

With a deep breath and a hint of rejuvenated energy, I raised my hand.

Just…a…touch.

When my palm grazed the soft surface of fur, all I could do was smile as waves of peace rushed through me. The softness of this wolf’s coat made a smile grace my lips as a final tear left my eye and ran down my cheek.

“Soft…”

The word was but a croak of borrowed energy as I used the last bit of my strength to enjoy these final moments by stroking the dark brown and white fur of this magnificent being. I wished I could live longer, get the chance to take in the full appearance of this creature and acknowledge its delicacy, but my eyes had finally lost their will to remain open.

They began to close as the strings of sensation in my hand went limp, leaving it to fall back to my side.

When the darkness greeted me, there was nothing left to fear, for I’d come to a final conclusion as I took my last breath.

Life isn’t fair. The bad people always get their way.

I…just wanted to save the animals.

To make my family proud and do good.

Be good.

Live…good.

I wish…I could stay.

“Bye, Wolfie…”

1

LOST AND FOUND

~IAN~

“WE’RE NOT KEEPING HER!”

“She’s not a pet, Rogan! Where the hell is she supposed to go?”

My eyes kept darting between the three adults in the room, the tightness in my throat growing as the conversation grew tenser by the second.

“Dolly, you don’t know what the fuck she is.”

“Don’t ‘Dolly’ me! You, as well as Sam and I, know what she is! She won’t last in foster care, and if anyone like us gets a grasp of what she is, it’s game over! Do you really want that happening to her, because if so, we might as well have left her in the woods to die!”

“You should have!”

“Rogan! Enough!”

My body jolted at the loud, gruff sound. The voice belonged to Sam. I’d lived here long enough to know when he raised his voice, it meant he was mad and done with the conversation.

Maneuvering my gaze from his tall frame, I looked over to the only woman in the room. Her face was so red the color could have matched a tomato, and her body shook uncontrollably with boiling anger.

That was Dolly.

When it came to lost children like me, she never played around. I’d overheard Sam saying it was because she’d always wanted kids, but I couldn’t understand why she didn’t have any. Something about her not being able to, but I thought of her as a mom, so maybe that did count.

Compared to the others in my situation, I was the closest to her, and it was infuriating to stand here and see her in distress.

She has every right to be…

My eyes returned to the man in question - Rogan. I’d considered him the asshole of the family. That was what many of the adults called him when he wasn’t around, simply because he was a jerk - to everyone, even me.

The topic of argument tonight? The girl I found in the woods.

No way did I want them to get rid of her, even if I knew nothing about her or where she’d been running from. There was just something about her. Something that made me not want to leave her side.

My wolf was no different. My wolf liked her - we liked her - and whatever was calling to us didn’t want to be ignored.

It had to be what Dolly referred to as fate. Why else would I have found her?

Obviously, I wasn’t supposed to be in the forest, but all I craved was space. It wasn’t for fun, like it had been many previous times.

Today was special for some strange reason.

When I’d been running through the dark woods, allowing the musky air to calm me down, the piercing sound stopped me in my tracks. It was like something had popped, but it wasn’t just one pop, it was multiple.

Without hesitation, I ran into the very direction of the sound, even with Dolly’s past warnings that pop sounds were most likely from hunters who carried guns.

It was one of those “usual” things because the others and I were very rare wolf races that many hunters would love to catch. That was why we weren’t allowed to go outside at night. But I disliked rules.

They were meant to be broken.

Upon my arrival, there were no hunters in sight, but there she was: the girl.

She was so beautiful, with outstanding eyes that gleamed marvellously under the moonlight. They reminded me of the sky, or crystal-clear waters in the hidden realms of the mountains.

My admiration was short-lived as I realized she was hurt - really bad.

Metallic scent invaded my nostrils, encouraging me to push my limbs even harder to race down the path towards her limp body. She was barely awake - barely breathing - while her limp body lay there.

She clung to a blade and a picture of her and what had to have been her family.

What I feared most was her dying. A stranger’s life, someone who looked to be my age, slipping away without having a chance of survival.

Her teal eyes were weak and struggled to keep fighting the urge to close, but my arrival had to have done something to give her a speck of determination. I expected she’d do what any human with a boost of instincts would: run as far away from me as possible.

Instead, her little hand reached out to pet me - cold and trembling as she took the time to enjoy the softness of my fur while her lips tugged upward in the cutest smile. It was like seeing someone genuinely smile for the first time, and my heart skipped a few beats even in my wolf form.

She loved my fur, stating as much with that weak, struggling voice of hers while she looked at me with more compassion than most of the adults I’d met in my young life. I couldn’t wrap my head around why she didn’t fear me.

People always fear wolves.

I decided there and then that she deserved to be saved. Our hearts begged for us to do something - anything - to save this girl who called us Wolfie.

I never had a nickname for my wolf, but it was perfect and I mentally claimed it - seconds before howling upward towards the full moon.

The sound echoed, again and again, escaping from my throat in urgency. I knew it would reach my friends: my family.

The girl looked to be five or six, but I wasn’t sure. I was seven, so if she was five, I’d be two years older than her.

Frankly, I was still trying to figure out what would motivate hunters to pursue a human girl. What was so special about her? Was she not human?

Maybe that’s what I was hoping for. That she’d be like me.

We didn’t have any female wolves in these parts. We lived in the hidden parts of the mountains, away from the towns and big cities for our own safety.

We’re endangered, after all. We’re lucky to peacefully stay here, like Dolly always says.

“Right now, she’s injured so she’s staying. Once she heals, we can see what she remembers. That wound on her head surely did more damage. Plus, she’s just a child. Throwing her into foster care is basically homicide!”

Foster care for wolves is a death sentence. Carter said that.

“She WILL go to foster care when she heals! We already have a deal with that pack of wolves. We’re not letting that girl stay. She’ll be a distraction to the boys and only bring bad luck to us all!”

“You don’t know that!”

“Shut it already, Dolly! You’re just defending the orphaned twat because you’ve always wanted a daugh-”

My jaw dropped at the sound of Dolly’s hand slapping Rogan’s cheek. The silence was deafening. I watched with wide eyes as the spread of red washed over Rogan’s flesh. A part of me was frightened and wanted to continue hiding in the shadows, but my wolf was done hiding and he nudged my feet forward to enter the dimly lit living room.

The moment I made myself seen, I didn’t hesitate to reach Dolly’s side as she trembled in her spot. She was crying, obviously upset by Rogan’s words - as she should be. It wasn’t Dolly’s fault she couldn’t have kids. She told me she tried and tried, but maybe Mother Moon wanted her to be on another path.

Would she even take us in if she had her own kids?

Dolly always wanted a girl especially. She had a few miscarriages, each one breaking her heart- piece by piece - and the last one, she told no one but me.

She told me that night that she wouldn’t try again. She was tired of trying…and losing.

It pained me to see her sad like this. Dolly was the kindest person ever, and seeing those golden orbs glassy with tears tugged on every heartstring and made me extremely upset.

I reached for her hand, and those shimmering orbs met my glimmering silver ones.

“Can she stay, Dolly?” I quietly asked. “I want her to stay. She’s different…special. My wolf likes her!”

Me vouching for anyone was a big deal because I didn’t like talking. It wasn’t in my comfort zone because no one really listened to you when you were a kid. Dolly and Sam would make it a priority, and my friends listened to me, but everyone else?

Ignored. Complained. Told me orphan brats should keep their mouths shut.

“Do you like her, Ian?”

“Yes!” I emphasized without delay. “There’s kindness in her heart, Dolly. I just know it. Can’t she stay? Pretty please!” I begged.

It was my first time asking her for something to this degree as I stared into her eyes with a flicker of hope. It felt selfish of me to ask for stuff, especially when I was privileged to stay in this place of safety with a roof over my head and food to eat, but if this girl were taken away, I could guarantee that she’d be lonely.

I hate the heavy feeling of being alone.

We also couldn’t ignore the possibility of her being a wolf. If she was, she needed a pack. Every wolf deserved a pack. She could be a late bloomer. Or hiding her wolf out of fear. There could be so many factors. Even a child could think of the possibilities.

Why can’t Rogan get it?

“You’re really going to listen to an imbecile brat?!” Rogan scolded.

That earned him a glare as my pale silver eyes narrowed the moment I turned my head in his direction. My wolf approached within my mind, prowling forward with every intention of laying a mark on Rogan’s flesh to shut him up.

The shift in the atmosphere was surely enough to make him stop talking, to the point that Sam got up and reached my side far quicker than I would have liked.

“Easy with the glare, buddy,” Sam urged as he got down on one knee next to me and lightly placed his hand on my shoulder. “Ian.”

I didn’t want to back down. He didn’t deserve my sympathy. Why didn’t he carry a kind vein in him? I simply hated him.

“Ian.” The tender voice came from my left, and I looked to see Dolly. “How about we let the girl stay for now. When she’s healed up, we can check to see if she has any family. You wouldn’t want to take her from her family, right?”

“Right,” I admitted. “But if she doesn’t?”

“If she doesn’t, we’ll have to at least try to see if she’ll fit in a foster family. If she struggles to respond positively to them, she can stay here. Do you understand?”

“I guess…” I still didn’t like the idea, but then again, it was better than her not getting the chance to stay with us. She may have a family waiting for her, and it would be pretty mean to take her from them.

“If she has to go away, can we still be friends?”

Dolly smiled, which lit up her watery eyes, while Sam bobbed his head and lightly squeezed my shoulder.

“Sure thing, kiddo. I think it would be a good idea since you two are close in age.”

“Doesn’t sound good at all, but no one gives a hoot,” Rogan muttered, and he was right - no one cared, which was why we ignored him.

“Perfect. Now, you should be sleeping. I don’t want to deal with your cranky butt in the morning.”

“I’m not cranky,” I mumbled while pouting my lips, knowing well that I wasn’t a happy camper when I didn’t get enough sleep.

“Sure,” Sam drawled with a look that said otherwise.

“Can’t I stay with the girl a bit longer? What if she has a nightmare?! She needs someone to be there!” I reasoned. I would make any excuse to just stay with her for a few more minutes.

With a look at Dolly, Sam replied, “Only if you make sure not to tell her you’re a wolf, Ian.”

“Why?” I tilted my head in confusion. “Isn’t she one?”

Rogan clearly had enough of the conversation - or being ignored - and he marched out of the room and slammed the door behind him. I flinched at the sound before glaring at his trail. “Hmph. He’s going to wake her.”

Dolly gave me a sympathetic look as she gently stroked my hair, but Sam remained focused on the main topic at hand.

“I don’t think she knows, Ian,” Sam stated with a sigh.

“Like me?” I inquired with curious eyes.

When I was found, I didn’t know what I was. To be honest, I couldn’t remember who I was aside from my name, Ian. My new friends made things easier, even though I was frightened to mingle with kids similar to my age.

Dolly and Sam helped a lot, and I wanted to ‘“pay it forward” like Dolly always emphasized when she taught us about doing good to others so others would do good to you.

“Similar,” Dolly answered. “With a slight problem.”

“Problem? What problem? Is she unwell? Will she not heal from getting hurt?”

Sam shook his head and gave me his full attention.

“It’s tricky, kiddo.” His eyes told me something was definitely wrong, and I needed to know what it was.

“I want to know, Sam! I have to be strong for her,” I emphasized. I was going to be her friend, and friends had to stick together. That meant supporting her any way I could.

“Well… it would take some time and tests to be done. It’s just a hunch, but we think someone may have sealed off her wolf.”

My mouth opened to speak, but words didn’t come out as I thought about it. I didn’t know very much about wolf life. I was being taught with the rest of the pack, but I knew enough to acknowledge that having your wolf sealed was VERY bad.

“She can’t shift…” I trailed off as the words really hit me and my wolf. “She’ll die! Won’t she die? Oh, Sam. Dolly. She can’t die! She worked so hard not to die!” I panicked at the thought, my heart already racing while my eyes were filling with tears.

Death frightened me.

The heavy, single word that described the end of a person’s life made a weird prickling feeling go through my body and left me feeling cold and lonely. I hated this feeling, like waking up from a nightmare or like sinking in a pool.

“Ian.” Dolly was on her knees in front of me and lightly stroked my cheeks, which were already wet with tears. “We don’t know all the facts yet. It’s going to take us time to figure it out, especially with the rarity of female wolves. We don’t know her family background or if she’s from a pack of endangered wolves like you and the others. You can’t tell her, or it may have a very bad effect on her and we won’t be able to keep her here.”

This was one of those heavy decisions adults had to make, but I’d asked to be a part of it. I couldn’t back down now that things were a little scary. Essentially, I didn’t want to hide who we were. It wouldn’t be fair, and I wouldn’t want anyone doing the same to me.

“Ian,” Sam whispered. “You’ll be able to tell her one day. It just can’t be right this instant. Not only does it put her at risk depending on if she’s accepted into a foster family, but it’ll put you and the others at risk as well.”

“But…I don’t want to lie to her,” I admitted as my shoulders sank in defeat. “I like her, Sam. I want to tell her the truth. You guys always say we should tell the truth.”

“For now, Ian, it’s a secret,” Sam urged. “You’re not lying to try to hurt her. You just want to keep her and those you love safe. Once we figure everything out, we can slowly introduce her to you and this world. For now, she has to adapt because a lot has changed in her life and it’s very scary. Think about it. She may have lost her family, friends, a place she calls home. We should aim to make her comfortable and happy here. We’ll leave the complicated stuff for later.”

“Trust us, Ian. We’ll figure it out. I promise,” Dolly emphasized.

“Okay…” I trailed off to lift my head and look between them. “I guess I have to stay in my wolf form then. Can I do that?”

“That’s fine,” Dolly approved. “If she wakes up and we’re not there, come get us, okay?”

“Okay,” I agreed with a firm nod. “I’m going away now.” I couldn’t help but give them each a hug for listening to me, before scurrying down the hall to the stairs.

My ears perked up as my sense of hearing heightened to catch onto their conversation.

“He’s fond of her already,” Sam acknowledged.

“What if they’re mates? That would be delightful,” Dolly suggested, and I knew without seeing her that she was trying to lift up her own spirits.

“Maybe,” Sam replied, but I could tell he was still concerned. “Things aren’t adding up, though. Why would a five-year-old child be hunted? There’s a blood trail and everything. I got a few of the boys to begin scouting the area, and I’ll go contribute, but this is unreal for these parts of the woods. I’m hoping we can find a trail that maybe leads to where she’d been running from, but my gut tells me things are ugly.”

“We can’t let her be in the foster system, Sam.” Dolly’s voice trembled at the mere statement. “You know what they do to girls. She’s so innocent and pure. We should be protecting her, not throwing her into a system that is just as savage as a pack of wolves. They’ll ruin her. Break her little heart.”

Dolly’s sobs made my heart clench as I silently walked back down the hall until I could peek from the shadows to see Dolly crying before Sam hugged her.

“Hey, there. Dolly, don’t cry. I’ll keep an eye on her, you hear? We have no choice but to let her try a few families. You know how many adopters are desperate for a female child. It won’t be as easy as claiming Ian. If she doesn’t adapt, she’ll stay here. We won’t turn a blind eye like others have in the past, alright?”

All Dolly could do was nod as she sobbed into his chest. I frowned and tried not to cry at the sound of her whimpers, turning around to head back to the stairs.

Before I knew it, I was at the door to my room - the last one down the dark hall. With a creak, I poked my head in to check the small space I’d slept in since arriving here.

The moonlight illuminated the square space, the curtains dancing lightly with the trickle of wind that seeped in. My eyes landed on the bed, relief flooding me as a small smile graced my lips.

Just staring at her from afar made me hope we’d be friends, but only time would tell.

“Are you going to bed or not?”

I blinked and slowly closed the door at the quiet but authoritative voice from my left. I already knew who stood there watching me, but my eyes confirmed it as they landed on pair of golden orbs.

“I was,” I whined with a pout, noticing the way his eyebrow raised just slightly. My wolf had to nudge me to be obedient, and I let go of the knob of the door to give him my full attention with a slight bow of my head. “I was, Alpha Carter.”

Carter Moonshine. The leader of our endangered pack. He was a bit older, wiser, and far stronger than a noob like me in this world of wolf shifters. The pack - my friends - respected him, even though it was becoming clear that my human side didn’t like him.

I wasn’t sure how my wolf felt, but he certainly acknowledged that this boy was way out of our league.

And we have no choice but to obey.

He took the few short steps needed to stand before me, his eyes analyzing me from head to toe. “Just Carter,” he huffed. “Unless you do something stupid, which you did, didn’t you?”

“If I didn’t go out, we wouldn’t have saved the girl,” I defended.

“That’s not your duty,” Carter emphasized. “I was assigned to survey tonight. I would have discovered if there was any trouble.”

Is he mad that he wasn’t the one to find her?

I had to be smart about what I said next so he wouldn’t stop me from seeing the girl.

“I wanted space because Rogan was being an asshole again,” I brought up and looked away to add, “He’s always saying I’m useless and a waste of space. I wanted to leave…not leave, leave…just to get some air. I didn’t mean to interfere.”

It was partially true because Rogan did love to insult me regularly because I was taking up “too much space”. It didn’t make sense since I was adopted by Dolly and he just came down here whenever he felt like it.

“Don’t listen to that weak wolf. He picks on you because he wants you to remain weak,” Carter huffed, his eyes still analyzing me carefully. “Due to the circumstances, I’ll let this go, but if it happens again, you’ll be in trouble. Understand?”

“Understood,” I replied as I lowered my head. He reached out to lift my head by the chin.

“Don’t act like a submissive wolf when you’re not. When you agree, you look into my eyes and say it.”

I blinked a few times before whispering,” Understood.”

My eyes lingered on his for a few more seconds before he was satisfied and let go. Then he turned away, allowing me to acknowledge his short blond strands with hints of white at the edges.

He looked over his shoulder once more - his golden eyes dimming until they were back to their true color of striking turquoise.

“Get some rest. You’re always cranky when you don’t sleep.”

I was going to debate, but I held my tongue. That was clearly a good move as he purposely waited an added few seconds to stare at me before he looked away.

“Goodnight.”

He didn’t wait for me to finish as he waltzed forward until he was going down the stairs. As curious as I was to follow him and eavesdrop on whatever he would say to Dolly and Sam, I decided to do what I was told.

Opening the door once more, I slipped through the small space and closed it very gently. With a sigh, I let myself relax before turning around and heading to the bed to see the pretty girl still sound asleep.

She was more beautiful now that her skin wasn’t dangerously pale, her chest moving up and down slowly to accent her sleeping state.

Dolly had cleaned her right up, bandaging any wounds with the help of the healers, and put her in a nice, frilly white dress. The picture that was in her possession sat on the nightstand, along with the dagger she’d been holding.

Dolly told me not to touch those items, for they were surely important. The girl would freak out if she woke up and they weren’t present.

We had to use a special cloth to hold it anyways because the blade and a bit of the hilt had silver - a rather poisonous element to wolves. That was another reason why no one touched the silver locket around her neck.

It looked like one of those heirlooms that were handed down to children, like I’d learned about the other day. Shifter traditions were a big deal, at least, that was what Carter explained. There were various factors that contributed to it, but they were important.

In this world, I was warned that tampering with anything you knew little about was dangerous. Carter always stressed that in every teaching I’d had with the others, aiming to ingrain it into our heads.

The soft whimper had my wolf on high alert, and I flinched and moved closer to ensure the girl was okay. She turned slightly, and that the glint of a tear caught my eye as it rolled down her cheek.

I knew exactly what I had to do as I moved to slip under the covers to hug her. It felt like she was crying in her sleep, tears and whimpers continuing to escape her before she quietly settled into slumber once more.

At some point, she worked on turning, until she was snuggled against me like I was a big, warm teddy bear. My wolf decided this would be the time to shift, especially now that we were relaxed.

I was getting used to the odd transition. It was still weird to me, but I tried not to think about it. Thanks to the few shifts I’d experienced, it was less strenuous and painful, and thanks to one of our packmates, Levi, I could do it like it was second nature.

The shift was flawless, and the girl didn’t notice. She snuggled even closer now, her head slightly moving to rub against my fur. I could notice the slight smile on her tiny lips as they parted just slightly.

“Wolfie.”

She knows it’s me? She remembers me!

If there was a way to smile in this form, I’d be grinning from ear to ear at her unconscious acknowledgment. It made me so happy to be known by a girl just because I’d been there for her. Even if Carter was mad at me for stealing his role, I didn’t care.

I’d do it again if it meant she remembered me.

I silently prayed to our Mother Moon that she’d stay with us. My heart wished for her to remain close to us, just like this. She deserved to be here with me, and maybe the others.

Maybe the idea of someone from similar circumstances being with me left me hoping she’d be a friend forever, but deep down, I really did wish she’d be a part of my destiny.

Please…don’t leave us.

2

FINDING A PLACE TO CALL HOME

~THREE MONTHS LATER~

“HARPER BLAKE, five years of age, suffering from amnesia and post-traumatic stress disorder. Thus far, she’s been shuffled through six foster homes. The recent family didn’t last twenty-four hours before they contacted us and insisted we retrieve Harper, because she was making a ‘ruckus’. She giggles to herself and talks to an apparent ‘imaginary’ friend,” the woman with glasses explained before lifting her eyes from the plain black binder to look at Dolly and Sam, who were sitting across from her.

“As a professional reviewing this data and with the experience I’ve gathered from working with children traumatized by scenarios involving murder, I believe it’s going to be quite a difficult task to get her into a family where she can essentially blend in well.” She paused to look between them with a sympathetic look. “You have to understand that families in these parts, in particular, may be excited to adopt, but they want…well…a normal child.”

Why can’t you be like a normal child?!

Mommy, the mutt is talking to herself again!

She’s scary, Dad! Can’t we just get rid of her?

Your friend is stupid and invisible! She’s just like you!

Out of all the foster kids, we just had to get the defective one!

Can we keep her for the money?

In order to be a good new daughter, you have to do something for me, or else I’ll return you right back to that shithole.

You can’t tell the adults. No one else. Do you understand?

I SHOOK my head in hopes that the evil memories that brought tears to my eyes would go away. It was hard to silence them with how stressful the last three months had been.

The word “normal” would bring them all into my head in a rush, and it was hard to make them stop.

Moving away from the door, I walked over to my temporary bed that Dolly had let me sleep on. I liked it cause the sheets were pink and more comfortable than the floor.

All the other families say mutts deserve to sleep on the ground.

The thought had tears shedding down my cheeks as I silently slipped under the covers of my blanket, hiding my entire body beneath the safety of the soft, warm fabric.

“Sad.”

I twiddled my fingers as the single word from my imaginary friend within my mind echoed again and again. I looked to the bandages on my fingers, the pink plaster with yellow stars only reminding me of the ultimate truth: we got into trouble yet again.

Very sad…

I didn’t know what else to think about this situation. What more could I do to fix myself so I would be accepted by a family? No one liked me.

Right now, it felt like in this big world, it was just me and my imaginary friend. At least she understood me, unlike all these adults who used big words I couldn’t quite grasp and made me feel like I was invisible.

My family never treated me like them.

Three months. That was how much time had passed since my family was killed. Mom. Dad. Brother. That night had turned into a scary one, and now I was an orphan. I had no other family members, which meant we were all alone with nowhere else to go.

Dolly and Sam were my temporary parents until I found a “new” home. It was one of those things that the counselor said was mandatory, even if I didn’t want to leave.

I didn’t want to go anywhere. What was the point when everywhere I went, the family would say mean things to me? Why bother telling the orphanage counselors how excited they were to adopt me face to face, but bring me home and do the complete opposite by hating me and my imaginary friend?

To me, my imaginary friend was like a wolf. I liked to picture her that way. She wasn’t very big and I could only see her in my head, but she talked to me a lot so I wouldn’t feel lonely.

She’s my mini wolf.

I hadn’t thought of a name for her yet. I didn’t tell her that I was scared to name her because what if I woke up from sleeping and she disappeared?

I don’t want anyone else disappearing from my life.

The families I’d endured thus far weren’t very pleasant. They appeared that way in the beginning, but the moment I left with them, everything changed.

Family one was too happy, and at night, I was forced to sleep on the cold basement floor while they called me “doggy” or “mutt”. My imaginary friend didn’t like that, so we ran away by breaking the window. Somehow, I found Dolly and Sam’s house, surprising both of them.

Family two was evil. They called me “ugly mutt” and would tell me to get out and live in a tiny house in the backyard and eat food from the same bowl as their dog. Again, my imaginary friend didn’t like that at all, so we broke their vase. They may not have liked that, but it made me happy - even though my mom taught me that it wasn’t nice to break things.

Family three and four were the same. Two weeks into it, I was back at Dolly and Sam’s all because the families didn’t like me having bad dreams at night. It wasn’t my fault I was chased by scary black figures and shot at. They didn’t care.

Family five was the longest. I spent one month in the hollows of their basement because they went on holiday vacation. I tried to be a good girl because I was tired of running away, but being home alone was scary.

My imaginary friend was my protector when scary noises came out from various places, but she encouraged me to cry loudly all night long, so I did.

That was when we met a really friendly police officer. Not only did he bring me back to Dolly and Sam’s place, but he gave me a lollipop and told me if I ever had trouble to find a phone and dial the number on a special card he gave me. It was for emergencies, and I should always keep it with me.

I really liked him. He’s kind, like Dolly and Sam.

His name was Officer O’Neil. He was best friends with Sam and said he’d keep an eye on me while the other adults tried to find me a place to stay. On the drive home, I’d told him about my imaginary friend and all our adventures. Compared to the doctors and agents who said I was crazy when I wasn’t in the room, Officer O’Neil understood me.

He told me that sometimes in this world, people don’t like those who appear to be unique. I never really understood because I didn’t feel unique. I had brown hair and blue eyes. My skin was pale white, and I tried to behave. I couldn’t get how I was special, but he promised to help me figure it out once I found a family.

That’s why I hoped family six would be right for me, but instead, I had to call him.

I had no choice…

It wasn’t necessarily because I was trapped, like with the other families. The mommy was super nice. They didn’t have any kids so I was their first, and the mommy would make really tasty cookies and braid my hair.

The dad was the problem. He wasn’t a good man like Sam or Officer O’Neil. He wanted me to do strange things and would tell me I couldn’t tell the mommy, or I’d get in trouble. My imaginary friend said I shouldn’t because it was bad. I didn’t really get it, but I trusted her more than I did this strange man.

He wanted me to share baths with him and said I had to touch places on him that were weird. My real family never asked that of me, and even if they were dead, I wasn’t stupid.

Unless I trusted the person, I wouldn’t do anything.

There’s not a lot of people I trust anymore…

The only good thing about the family was meeting a kitty. She was super tiny and a bit hyper in nature, but she’d run around and play with me, so I decided to keep her.

I called her Muffin, and I loved her very, very much, but the man didn’t. He wanted to take Muffin away, saying dogs and cats weren’t allowed to be friends. I don’t understand.

I never really understood why everyone brought dogs into any conversation or treated me like one. I wasn’t a dog, and Muffin loved me already. Why was it fair to take her away when she had nowhere to go?

Like me.

Muffin only stayed there for food and water, but they didn’t love her the way I did. He said if I didn’t do as he asked, he’d cut Muffin’s neck with the kitchen knife, but I didn’t want to do the scary stuff the man wished for me to do. It wasn’t fair and it made me really mad.

So I took the wireless phone from the kitchen, Muffin, a blanket, and some cookies from the special cookie jar and ran away.

Unlike my other escapes, the day was really bad outside. It was raining and cold, but I didn’t care. I kept Muffin warm in the blanket and found a box in a dark alley. I tried to use the phone to call Officer O’Neil, but it wasn’t working.

It was really scary, but that’s when I met a boy. Just remembering the night made me smile just a bit, not because of the scary part, but because I met the boy with pretty eyes.

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?”

I lifted my teary eyes that were wide with fear. My large orbs locked onto a pair of beautiful ones. I gasped because those eyes were like colorful jewels you’d see on necklaces. They were mismatched, like Muffin’s, one blue and the other of gold. The blue shade reminded me of my eye color, while the gold was like watching the beginning streams of a sunset in the sky.

His hair was short and blond, and I knew he was older, but his eyes were very loving, like we were best friends. Even so, I still had to ask his name.

“Who are you?”

He stared at me for a long moment, as if he didn’t want to say. “Carter.”

“Carter,” I repeated. “I’m Harper.” I paused to move the head of the blanket. “And this is Muffin.”

He looked down at my kitten and slowly nodded.

“Why are you in the rain with Muffin, Harper?” he asked. “Where’s your family?”

I bit my lip in hesitation and looked at the broken phone.

“My family isn’t good. I have to call Officer O’Neil when it’s an emergency, but the phone isn’t working and…well…” I trailed off as I looked down to Muffin. “I…I have a temporary family. Dolly and Sam. I want to go to their place…but I’m scared.”

“Why are you scared?” he inquired.

“Why do you care?” I didn’t mean to be mean, but I was tired of always having to explain myself. “You’re just going to disappear like the other adults.”

“Do you want me to go?” he inquired.

Peering up to see his calm expression, I slowly shook my head.

“If you go…I’ll be lonely. Same with my imaginary friend.”

“Imaginary friend?”

“She’s in my head,” I announced and noticed the way she calmly approached. She didn’t seem like she hated him. She was curious. “She likes you. You’re not bad.”

“I’m not like the adults,” he voiced and closed his umbrella.

“What are you doing?” I asked and watched him move to sit next to me in the box.

“Sitting with you,” he replied. “I have a phone. Do you want to call Officer O’Neil?”

“Yes!” I beamed, but my smile fell a second later before I felt sad. “Actually… never mind…”

“Why?” I wasn’t sure if it was okay to tell him. Maybe he’d think I was weird or a stupid mutt. “Harper?”

I lifted my head and turned to look into his calm face. He was really pretty up close, and my heart sped up while I admired him. Having him here took the fear regarding my family away, but was it okay to tell him how I felt?

“You won’t say I’m a weird mutt?” I asked.

His eyes widened at my question before he looked sad. “I’d never call you that, Harper. You’re pretty and probably very smart.”

“I am smart!” I announced and felt my cheeks warm up a bit. “I’m pretty?”

“You are,” he said with a slight smile and reached out to pet my head. “Muffin is cute, too.”

“Yeah!” I cheered and hugged Muffin, who was sleeping quietly in my hold. “Well…I don’t want to call Officer O’Neil because he’ll drive me back to Sam and Dolly’s place. They’re really nice people and are my temporary family whenever the testing family does wrong, but…I…don’t want to be a burden anymore.”

“Burden,” Carter whispered. “You’re not a burden, Harper! Who said that?”

“The adults say it all the time.” I shrugged. “They say mean things to me. Call me mutt, ugly, stupid, useless. They said I should disappear or die…so what if Dolly and Sam get tired of me?”

Carter stared at me in shock before he looked really mad.

“No one should be saying that to you. That’s all mean! My…uh…family is good friends with Dolly and Sam. Ya. They won’t think of you as a burden, Harper.”

“Promise?” I asked and lifted my hand to show my pinky finger. He stared at it and smiled as he lifted his pinky.

“Promise, Harper,” he replied as his finger entwined around mine. “Now, let’s call Officer O’Neil so we can go home.”

“Okay!”

THE MEMORY FADED AWAY. It was a good thing we’d called Officer O’Neil when we did because a very large wolf came out of nowhere and tried to attack us.

Carter had stood in front of me while screaming at the large dog to go away or he’d be in big trouble. He launched at us, but Officer O’Neil came into the alley and shot at him in time. I didn’t think it killed the large dog because he ran away limping, but it was scary.

He brought all of us home after getting us pizza from the shop across the street. I think he did that because he said he needed to make a report of the large dog and get his friends to arrest the owner.

Now the agents were here - again - to find me yet another family, and I was just tired of trying. I didn’t want a new family anymore.

I want Mommy, Daddy, and Brother back. Can’t I just go to where they are? I’d have to die, right? Could Muffin come with me?

Peeking out from the blanket, I looked at the nightstand where my family picture and blade were. The silver metal of the blade caught my eye, the slight twinkle from the moonlight leaving me wondering if I could use that to go home.

But who would protect the blade? Mommy and Daddy said it was important.

I missed them and my brother more than ever, and each day that passed with mean families, the harder it was to keep trying again, day after day. The agents weren’t listening to me. They didn’t care about what I wanted. Why did I have to keep getting new families? Why couldn’t I stay here where it was safe?

Dolly was nice to me. Sam was super cool. Then there was the little boy, too. I hadn’t really gotten to meet him yet, but he’d bring me cookies at the door when Dolly and Sam weren’t looking. I liked him for that, and so did my imaginary friend.

That means he’s a good person…like Carter.

I was a bit sad that I wouldn’t see Carter again, too, and that just reminded me that I was lonely without my family. Looking back at the blade, I couldn’t help but think: do I want to be here anymore?

There was a small scratching noise at the door, followed by a shushing sound. I slipped out of bed and fixed my pink dress as I quietly made my way to the door.

“Muffin, don’t scratch the door. She’ll know I’m here.”

That made me giggle before I opened the door enough for my blue eyes to meet a pair of wide silver ones.

The boy blinked as his cheeks began to grow red. He was slightly taller than me, with green hair that had a really shiny look to it. It wasn’t green like grass or lettuce. It was like my eyes, but not blue enough like the sky. It was a mix of green and blue, like my favorite color in the large crayon box.

Either way, I liked it because it made him stand out, especially with his lovely silver eyes. The other thing that stood out was the cool mark on his neck. It was different, a mix of swirls that made me wonder what the hidden meaning could be, but I knew cool kids had marks on their skin.

At least in the shows, they do.

He was wearing a grey t-shirt and Batman pajama pants, but what caught my eye was the plate of chocolate chip cookies that had me drooling in seconds.

Muffin sat further down at my feet as she looked up at me.

“Meow.”

Meeting her different colored eyes always made my heart grow big with happiness. It was just a brief moment, but the gold and blue orbs matched with her black fur and tiny frame always reminded me of how beautiful and different she was.

Unique. She’s unique, like what Officer O’Neil said. That’s why people don’t like her…or me.

I crouched down to lift her up and began to stroke her small body. She rewarded me with a low purr. I returned my gaze to the boy and smiled.

“I like cookies,” I whispered.

He replicated my smile with his own as he nodded. “Me too,” he whispered shyly.

A loud noise pierced the air, making us flinch. It surely had to come from the living room, but the boy promptly slipped into my room before we closed the door enough to have a tiny space left so we could listen in.

“Find her another family!”

I knew that voice, and my imaginary friend growled menacingly at the sound of his voice. We hated him; the man named Rogan. It was obvious that he didn’t like me, and neither of us knew why. It had to be the same as the other families who hated me.

We’re unique.

“We’re not getting into this tonight, Rogan,” Sam concluded and his voice, even from this distance, told me he wasn’t in the mood to argue. “This is getting ridiculous.”

“I’ll be excusing myself for the evening. I’ll return tomorrow morning and you can inform me of your decision,” the female voice announced. I knew it was the agent, and it wasn’t long before she went and the door came to a close.

“We’re adopting her.”

My heart skipped a few beats at Dolly’s strong declaration. I wasn’t sure if she was joking or I’d heard wrong, so I looked at the boy’s face and watched it light up with joy.

“Adopt…me? Is she joking?” I asked.

“Dolly’s not joking,” he said excitedly. “Dolly will take care of you so you won’t have to go to any more scary families!”

I stared at him in shock, my mind already wondering what it would be like to finally have a place to call home.

“But-” I began but was cut off by Rogan’s yelling. “You’re not adopting THAT child. How many scenarios do you need to conclude that she’s nothing but trouble?! Look at the chaos. Six fucking families and now we’re involving the damn police. You want that THING on this sacred soil?!”

His words triggered all the other insults I’d somehow collected like golden stars, only instead of making me feel happy and proud, I felt sad and lonelier. My shoulders sank at those hurtful words, as the idea of being adopted was thrown into the bin of hopeless dreams I’d somehow created in my mind.

See? No one wants us. Can’t I just…die, too? Then I can meet my family in heaven.

The soft clench around my hand brought me out of my thoughts as I lifted my gaze to the boy, who gave me a determined look.

“You’re staying.”

“You…don’t know me,” I voiced the obvious. “I don’t know you, either. Can’t you see? No one likes me or my imaginary friend. No one wants me here…or anywhere.”

“I want you here!” the boy exclaimed. “My name is Ian! Ian Chestwood. You’re Harper, right?”

“Ya. Harper Blake,” I quietly muttered. At least I knew my last name. I couldn’t remember much aside from that.

The incident had taken a lot of my memories, like an evil boogeyman snatched them. I couldn’t even really remember my parents’ or brother’s faces. Something to do with the trauma, from what the doctor told Dolly.

“You’re going to stay here,” Ian vowed and bobbed his head. “I won’t let Rogan the Bully win!” I was surprised with how loud he was being, but with a squeeze of my hand, he opened the door and dragged me with Muffin down the hall.

We were in the living room before my shock could register on my face, and four pairs of eyes landed on us. I couldn’t handle the scrutiny of their gazes, which were a mix of shock and, of course, Rogan’s scary orange eyes.

I hid behind Ian quickly, hoping I wouldn’t get in trouble - again.

“Ian?” Sam questioned. “Why are you here with Harper? The adults are talking right now.”

“Harper is staying!” Ian said it loud and clear. “I won’t let anyone hurt her anymore!”

I couldn’t help peeking out to one side to see who was in the room. My eyes took in Dolly, Sam, Officer O’Neil, and Rogan in the living room. All of them looked taken aback by Ian’s words, but Dolly had a little smile on her face, which brought a bit of relief in the thick, tense room.

“She is NOT staying, Ian. You’re not a part of this conversation,” Rogan snapped.

“No! YOU stay out of this!” Ian barked back and pointed at him. “This ain’t your house! It’s Dolly’s and Sam’s. They get to decide, not you! You’re just a big, bad bully! Harper is my friend, and she gets to stay with Muffin!”

He crossed his arms over his chest to try to make himself look big and scary, but I couldn’t help but tap on his shoulder so he’d look my way as my imaginary friend said something quietly in my head.

“Me too?”

“Does my imaginary friend get to stay too?” I whispered, as if the adults wouldn’t hear me. Ian blinked and met my worried eyes. He beamed at my question and quickly nodded his head.

“Yes!” he replied and looked around the room once more. “And Harper’s imaginary friend gets to stay as well!”

I looked over at Officer O’Neil as he began to chuckle. He was the tallest one in the room, and his chocolate skin always mesmerized me because we didn’t have a lot of people with skin like his. It made me feel like he was special, too, and from the looks of things, those who were special stuck together.

He walked over to me and knelt down to my level. With a gentle stroke of my head, he whispered, “You’re really protective of your imaginary friend, aren’t you, Harper?”

I wasn’t afraid of Officer O’Neil, and I felt like I could tell him anything without fearing I’d get in trouble. Maybe it had something to do with his blue eyes that were really light, like water described in picture books.

“She protects me from bad people. She can tell if you’re good or mean. She’s the one who told me not to do the things the evil man wanted me to do. She said we should get help.”

Officer O’Neil’s eyes looked at me with sadness in their hollows, and I noticed Dolly was on the verge of tears. Sam looked upset - not in a way that was directed at me, but maybe the situation angered him.

As for Ian, he just looked worried.

“I don’t get it,” Ian noted. “Who was going to do bad things to you, Harper?”

I couldn’t help but look his way so I could answer.

“The man…err…Daddy six said I’d have to take a bath with him and touch him in weird places! He said if I didn’t, he’d cut Muffin’s throat with the kitchen knife.”

The room was filled with silence as I shrugged and looked at Muffin as she quietly looked up at me. “My imaginary friend told me I should get the phone, blanket, and food so we could run away. I didn’t want to do weird things, and I love Muffin. He was going to hurt her, and then she’d disappear like my family. I didn’t want that, so I ran away into the rain and found a box, but the phone wasn’t working,” I stressed and pouted my lips.

After taking a moment, I continued on with my story. “Then a boy found me! Carter. That was his name. He was nice and let me use his tiny phone to call Officer O’Neil,” I explained, noticing the way Ian frowned at the mention of Carter’s name.

I didn’t let him bother me as I hugged Muffin a little tighter and didn’t look at anyone in particular.

“See…I wasn’t going to call Officer O’Neil. I don’t want to be a burden anymore. All the families call me mean names. They say I’m ugly. I’m a mutt. A weird dog. I don’t like sleeping on the basement floor. It’s cold. I also don’t like sleeping in the small house outside in the backyard and eating dog food because I’m a dirty mutt. No one wants to listen to what I want…and I don’t want Dolly and Sam to hate me. They’re nice to me…and I don’t…want them to hate me like everyone else does,” I quietly confessed as tears began to pool in my eyes. “Carter said I’m pretty and smart. He said his family is friends with Dolly and Sam, so they won’t think of me as a burden if I come back here. So that’s why we called Officer O’Neil.”

I lifted my head to see Officer O’Neil’s eyes were already filled with tears, like mine, and it made me smile a little as I reached out to pat his cheek.

“Don’t cry, Officer O’Neil,” I whispered. “You’ll make me cry.”

He blinked his eyes as he whispered, “Harper, you should never feel like you’re a burden when you’re in danger.”

“But that’s what I am,” I said with a shrug. “Everyone says I’m a burden. The agents say I am because other children get families right away. The families say I am because I’m not perfect or a normal child. Dolly and Sam are always arguing with meanie Rogan. It’s always because of me. So why wouldn’t I be a burden?”

My words silenced all of them, but I kept going.

“Everyone is always so busy, but at least here, you guys kinda care. Officer O’Neil is busy because he’s a police officer. The police are very busy people. That’s what my mom said. Even though he’s busy, he came to help me. Carter was super nice to me and he knows you guys. He was probably busy, too. Dolly is busy, but she always feeds me when I come back here. Sam’s busy, but he always comes and holds me when I have scary dreams of men chasing me and loud popping sounds,” I explained and pointed to Ian. “Ian’s busy, but he gives me cookies and is nice to Muffin. OH! And Wolfie! Wolfie is nice to me!”

“Wolfie?” Sam inquired.

“Wolfie! The one who saved me in the forest. He has nice, soft fur, and I cuddle with him at night.”

The others exchanged looks, but Ian smiled widely. Maybe he was proud of Wolfie for being nice to me.

“I don’t want to do this anymore. Going family to family,” I voiced and looked into Officer O’Neil’s eyes. “If I can’t stay, can I die?”

The shock in Officer O’Neil’s eyes was no different from everyone else’s, but Ian moved between us and put his hands on my shoulders.

“Harper! You can’t die! Dying is bad!” Ian stressed with frightened eyes. “No, no. You can’t die.”

“Why is dying bad?” I asked with a frown. I knew it meant I wouldn’t be alive, obviously, but what was the point of being alive when the world hates you? “Mommy, Daddy, and Brother are dead. They’re in heaven waiting for me. I’ve tried finding a family. I’ve tried being a good girl, but everyone hates me. Is it because of my hair? Or my eyes? Maybe cause my skin is too pale…hm…I don’t know.”

I shrugged which made Ian slip his hands from my shoulders as I stared into his wide eyes. “No one else likes me, Ian. No one else likes my imaginary friend, either. Without you, Sam, Dolly, Officer O’Neil, and even Carter, I have no one. No family. No friends. Just…me and my imaginary friend. Oh, and Muffin, of course,” I whispered and looked down at her once more as my tears fell.

Watching her sleep made me smile, and my heart filled with sadness.

“See, if I could die and bring Muffin with me, I’d go away. Everyone says I should disappear, so why not die? If I die, I’ll be with my family again. My mom could read me stories before bed. My dad could teach me different things. Brother always plays with me, and we’d eat nice hot food and sleep in beds!” I lifted my head up once more, trying hard to smile, but I wasn’t close to happy.

I was…sad. So sad the tears wouldn’t stop falling.

“I won’t have to sleep on the floor anymore. No more cold and nasty food. No more bad names. No more being laughed at and teased by the family’s other kids. No more nightmares. No more being afraid. No more pain! I’ll…I’ll be happy again.”

Ian’s eyes filled with tears as my lip trembled.

“I want to happy, Ian. I really do. I tried…I did everything…but…I don’t think I’m happy. I’m…very sad. My imaginary friend is sad. I’m tired of being sad, Ian.”

Tears ran down my cheeks as they did Ian’s, and he pulled me into a tight hug.

“Don’t be sad, Harper! I’ll make you happy! If…if no one is going to take you in…I’ll take you! We can live together! You and me! I have a treehouse. It’s not that big, but we can fit a small bed there! I’m not good at making food, but I’ll ask Dolly to make our food, and uh…I’ll work! I’ll clean the house and share my allowance with you! We’ll live in the treehouse and Muffin can, too. Your imaginary friend will be there as well, and Wolfie will visit. OH! You…you can meet my friends! I…know Carter. He knows my other friends. We can all meet and be friends…and just be happy!”

He pulled back as more tears rolled down his cheeks. I didn’t like seeing him so sad, and I tried not to sob as those orbs of silver begged for me to listen to him.

To be persuaded into living a little longer.

“So don’t be sad. You’re my friend now! You can’t die…or I’ll cry…and Wolfie would be sad too. We’ll both be sad! A lot of people will be sad!”

“But…” I sobbed as my tears flowed uncontrollably like my whimpers. “I’m lonely. I want to be loved again. I don’t want to be a burden.”

“Harper.” I lifted my head to see Officer O’Neil was next to me. Ian moved out of the way and took Muffin so that I could give him my full attention. “You’re not a burden, Harper,” he assured me. “We don’t want you being sad. How about I talk with Dolly and Sam so we can figure something out? If they can’t take you, what about you come and stay with me?”

The three other adults gasped in surprise, and Rogan muttered, “You’re not actually serious.”

“I’m very serious,” Officer O’Neil emphasized, and even gave Rogan a side glance that wasn’t so nice. It was almost like a warning stare. He returned his gaze to me and smiled.

“If you stay with me, I’m probably gonna have to bring you to work sometimes.”

“Work! Do I get to ride in the car while it goes wee-whoo?” I asked in excitement.

Officer O’Neil chuckled. “Well, only if there’s an emergency, but for you, we can do a trial ride with the sirens on.”

I beamed at the idea as he gently stroked my hair.

“What do you say?”

It sounded like a really fun idea, but I couldn’t help but look at Ian.

“Can…Ian visit me? And Wolfie? Oh, and can Muffin and my imaginary friend come, too?”

“Yes, they can all come and visit whenever you like,” Officer O’Neil replied as he pulled me into a tight hug. “I don’t mind having around a smart, beautiful, and talented girl like yourself. You can be my little deputy on duty.”

I giggled as I hugged him as tightly as I could. I didn’t remember the last time I’d hugged an adult like this, and being able to do this with Officer O’Neil reminded me of the times I got to hug my daddy.

“Now,” he began as I pulled back to look into his hopeful eyes. “The adults have to talk about a few things, but you have to promise me you won’t shed any more tears, you hear? You’re now Officer Blake.”

He lowered me back down and straightened his back up to put his hand up like the officers I saw in movies.

“Is that clear, Officer Blake?”

“Yes, sir!” I approved and mimicked his actions.

“You will be happy and continue to be a good, pretty, talented girl.”

“I will be happy and continue to be a good, pretty, talented girl!” I repeated.

“Me too! Officer! Officer!”

“Can my imaginary friend be an officer as well?”

“Certainly,” Officer O’Neil replied.

“Can I be an officer as well, please?!” Ian asked and lifted Muffin. “With Muffin! She’d be our sidekick!”

“Yes, Ian. You can be one too. Guess I’ll have a mini team of officers. Is Wolfie going to join?”

“Yes!” Ian cheered. “He’d love to join!”

“Alrighty. Why don’t you two go play in Harper’s room while we talk? You can eat the cookies Ian took earlier.”

Ian began to blush as Dolly arched an eyebrow in his direction.

“I was wondering why I’ve been missing cookies.”

“Run away!” Ian declared and began running down the hall with Muffin.

“Wait for me!” I called out, but looked to Officer O’Neil. He smiled and opened his large arms, inviting me to give him another tight hug.

He released me. I was going to run away, but I looked into those blue eyes and smiled.

“Thank you,” I whispered. He nodded and I glanced over to Sam and Dolly.

“Say thank you?”

I let go of Officer O’Neil and quickly shuffled up to where Sam and Dolly stood.

“Thank you,” I replied as I lifted my head up to look at their surprised faces. “Sorry if I’m a burden, but…thank you for being kind.”

With that, I ran to the hall in hopes of being with Ian. When I reached my room, Ian was there with Muffin. I was going to close the door, but Ian stopped me and pressed his finger to his lips to signal that we should both be quiet.

I nodded, and we listened in as we heard Dolly’s statement.

“We’re adopting her. It’s final.”

My eyes widened as I looked at Ian. He almost squealed, but quickly closed the door as lightly as possible. The moment it was shut, he had me in a hug.

“You’re staying! You’re staying!” he repeated again and again. I pulled back to see his teary eyes, and I couldn’t help but fight not to cry as I smiled.

“Thank you, Ian. For being my friend.”

“You’re welcome, Harper! You’re my new friend now! My best friend! I don’t have many friends. Only a small few!”

“Are they nice?”

“Hmm. Ya. They sometimes suck, but deep down, they really care. They would like you, Harper. I like you. We’ll keep each other company so we won’t be lonely!”

“Company,” I whispered as if the idea were a fairy tale. “Yes. We can keep each other company so we’re never lonely!”

He nodded. “Now we have to eat cookies to celebrate!”

We giggled and went straight for the plate of cookies. It didn’t take long to finish them as Muffin explored the room like it was her new mission to sniff every bit of wood.

We eventually moved to the bed, and I couldn’t stop myself from yawning as I rubbed my tired eyes.

“Ian, I’m sleepy.”

“You should sleep,” Ian encouraged.

“But…I’m scared of the bad dreams.”

“I’ll protect you from them, Harper. You’re safe with me!” Ian vowed and opened his arms. “Come! You can sleep in my arms.”

“Why?”

“It’s like having a hug in your dreams!” Ian declared. “Dolly always hugs me when I have scary dreams and it keeps all the bad dreams away! So hugging you will protect you.”

“That’s cool! I like hugs,” I replied and crawled over to snuggle against him.

“Meow!” I felt Muffin as she came out of nowhere and snuggled right in between our necks. We laughed and got comfortable before I yawned again and relaxed.

“Ian?”

“Yes, Harper?”

“Can we be friends forever?” I didn’t want to lose him down the road. He was so nice. At least if we were friends forever, we’d always be together.

“Forever and ever. You, me, and your imaginary friend. I’ll even get Wolfie to join!” he vowed.

“That makes me happy,” I confessed as my eyes grew heavier even as I fought to smile.

“I’ll always make you happy, Harper. I promise,” Ian vowed.

My eyes finally closed but I couldn’t get my smile off my face as his words echoed in my head. It didn’t take long until the world slipped away, but I’d never felt happier at the idea of the future.

That night, I didn’t have a single bad dream.

3

IAN CHESTWOOD AND WOLFIE

~ONE WEEK LATER~

“I HATE IT! I don’t want to go to school anymore.”

My sobs were loud and clear as I held Ian’s hand and continued to cry my eyes out while we stood in the living room with our backpacks still on.

Today was yet another hard day of school. It was absolutely horrible. All the kids were the same as the bad families’ kids: mean, rude, and complete bullies.

Since my first class, I was called names, and the moment I mentioned my imaginary friend, the bullying escalated. She’d growled in my head throughout the whole day, and I didn’t want to talk to anyone but Ian.

Now I just had a headache and crying wasn’t helping either.

“Harper,” Sam whispered, clearly feeling pity for my current breakdown as Dolly walked over to us. She didn’t hesitate to kneel down and wipe away my tears before lifting me up to give me a tight hug.

I cried into her shoulder, my body shaking from such an exhausting day. I didn’t get why the other adults weren’t helping me. I’d tell them what the kids would do wrong, and they would tell me to go play or ignore them.

How can you ignore something that’s being thrown at you again and again?

Dolly carried me over to sit on her lap at the table while Ian took his backpack off and helped me take mine off.

“It’s not fair, Sam!” Ian huffed. “They won’t stop picking on Harper and me. They call us names every chance they get. Throw paper and stick gum to our desks! We told the teachers and other adults, and they all say the same thing. Just ignore them. They’re just being kids. We’re kids, too! We’re not mean to others!”

“They…don’t like my imaginary friend. They said…she’s not real,” I cried as my shoulders moved up and down with my sobs.

“Ya! And then, they poured milk all over Harper today! She had to change clothes. I told them to stop or I’d punch them! They then went to the teacher and said we were being violent, but they started it!” Ian yelled. “Why is it okay for them to be mean to us and push us in the hall and pour milk on Harper, but we can’t fight back?!”

“It’s not okay,” Sam stressed and walked over to us with Ian. I worked on wiping away my tears and rubbing my eyes with my fists.

“Harper, can we know who your imaginary friend is?” Dolly decided to ask.

I stared at her with a frown while keeping my mouth shut. If I explained, they would be like everyone else and say she wasn’t real.

“Dolly,” Ian called, catching her attention before he moved right to her side to whisper something into her ear.

“Ah,” Dolly replied. “Harper’s imaginary friend is shy?”

I looked to Sam as he smirked and bobbed his head.

“Yes! She’s very shy because everyone is always saying she’s not real and it hurts her feelings. She’ll only talk to Harper now. Before, she’d talk to me, too. She’s my friend, you know? If I don’t get to talk to her, it makes me sad. Why can’t other people understand, Sam and Dolly? You guys believe in her. Officer O’Neil does, too!”

“They’re just being mean because Harper’s different like you, Ian,” Sam concluded.

“Well, no cookies for them! They don’t like Wolfie either,” Ian huffed.

“They don’t like Wolfie?” I gasped in horror and turned my head to look at him. “But…Wolfie is nice! His fur is so soft, and I like hugging him. You got to bring him to school?”

“Uh…” Ian looked to Dolly as she smirked and gave a soft giggle.

“Something like that,” she replied for Ian and brushed away my wet cheeks once more. “Don’t cry, Harper. It’s going to be okay.”

“But…I don’t wanna go again tomorrow,” I sniffed while my eyes pleadingly stared into her understanding ones.

“You won’t have to go tomorrow. Neither of you.”

“Huh?” We stared at her in confusion as I slowly slid off her lap to stand next to Ian. I held his hand, and we looked at Dolly as she turned in her chair to face us while Sam moved to stand next to her.

“Where are we going?” Ian decided to ask.

“Nowhere. You’re going to stay home,” Dolly announced.

“What about school?” I asked.

Sam smirked and looked over to Dolly as she nodded in encouragement.

“Well, Dolly and I have been thinking about it since Ian arrived, but now that Harper is here as well, it would make sense that you two do homeschool instead,” Sam revealed.

“Ian gets picked on regularly, and those kids aren’t going to stop bugging either of you if the teachers are simply allowing it to happen. We had to get approval from the government, but we got the letter yesterday and they agreed and will fund it.”

“Why do they pick on Ian?” I couldn’t help but ask. “He’s nice to me.”

“Ian’s a good boy and is very smart,” Dolly answered. “Sometimes kids don’t like that.”

“Really?” I asked.

“Ya,” Ian replied and held his head up with pride. “I get perfect grades, color in the lines, AND I always get the golden stickers. They hate when I get all of them.”

“That’s dumb,” I huffed. “They could be smart, too, if they weren’t so mean!”

“Exactly!” Ian replied. “Wait…hold on!” He looked at Sam and Dolly with wide eyes. “Homeschool?!” It was like their words finally clicked in his brain.

“What does that mean?” I asked, unsure what it even meant, but Ian let go of my hand to cheer before he began skipping around me in circles.

“YES! Harper! We’re going to homeschool!”

I stared at him in confusion, and he came to face me and press his hands on my cheeks. “That means we get to learn AT HOME!”

“We can?” I questioned as I tilted my head to the side.

“YES! We don’t need to get up super early to catch the bus. We can wear our pajamas, and eat breakfast with Sam and Dolly for longer, and they’re going to be our teachers, and we don’t even need to see those mean kids anymore!”

“Does that mean Muffin can come too?” I inquired.

“Meow!” The very kitten was in the living room, popping out of one of the toy boxes that had some of Ian’s cars. She raced to us until she was at my feet and reaching out with her front paws.

I picked her up and hugged her in greeting, those soft purrs making me feel a lot better.

“Yes! Muffin can come to class with us!” Ian cheered, but pouted his lips. “As long as she doesn’t scratch me. That hurts.”

I laughed. “That’s because you tried to steal her cookie.”

“Ya, but she wasn’t going to eat it. Cookies aren’t for kittens.”

“Meow!” Muffin hissed.

“Ah!” Ian ran around me and hid behind me while Muffin continued to purr away.

Sam and Dolly laughed.

“So yes. You’ll get to be homeschooled by us, and Muffin can attend classes as long as she isn’t making a ruckus and knocking down your cups from the table,” Dolly concluded.

“YES!” we cheered, and I lifted Muffin up in the air.

“Meow.”

“Home…school?”

Yes! Homeschool means we get to stay home, and Dolly and Sam get to teach us!

“Home. No more mean people?”

No more. Just you, me, Dolly, Sam, Ian, and Muffin!

“Happy!”

“My imaginary friend is happy!” I cheered.

“I’m happy, too!” Ian replied. “I’ll tell Wolfie when he wakes up.”

We laughed and hopped up and down with Muffin racing around us. Dolly and Sam watched us celebrate, the joy of the news taking away the sadness from the day.

“Can we go change now?” Ian asked.

“Sure,” Dolly encouraged. “Go change and come get a snack. Remember, we promised to show Harper around the sanctuary today.”

“YES!” Ian fist-pumped the air.

I stared at him in confusion. “San. Sanc…” I struggled to say the word.

Sam came over to me and knelt down to my level.

“Sanctuary. That’s the simple name for this place. Our home is known as the Sacred Moon Shelter for Endangered Wolves.”

“Sacred…Moon…Shelter…of…En…danger…ed…Wolf!” I tried to repeat what he’d stated, and Sam bobbed his head and smiled.

“Good work, kiddo,” he praised.

“Are there more wolves like Wolfie?”

“Yes,” Sam replied. “Our home is where we take care of wolves that are almost extinct.”

“What does that mean?” I asked with curiosity.

“It means there aren’t many left in the entire world, Harper. So Wolfie, for example, is the only one of his kind.”

“Only one?!” I gasped in horror. “In the WHOLE world?!” I put my hands up to emphasize how big the world seemed to me.

Ian smiled and skipped over to stand next to me. “Ya! In the whole entire world, Wolfie is the only one!” he said with pride.

Dolly cleared her throat and Ian blushed.

“They’re endangered, Harper,” Dolly carried on. “It means that there are a very few of each kind, so if we don’t protect them, hunters will try and kill them for money.”

“Oh.” The mere mention of hunters made me shake and I tried to appear as small as possible.

Ian immediately hugged me. “Don’t worry, Harper. You’re safe on these lands! No hunters can come here. Sam, Dolly, and even Officer O’Neil make sure of it.”

“Does that mean I’m uh…endangered? Is my imaginary friend the only one left?”

Dolly and Sam exchanged a look, their obvious frowns proving they weren’t sure about my question.

“I don’t think so!” Ian stepped in and moved to face me. “Those hunters are evil! They are greedy and only want money, but again, they’re not allowed here. So you’re safe and so is your imaginary friend. I’ll protect you!” he vowed.

“Okay!” That made me feel better, and I moved to give him a hug. “Just…don’t die, okay? I don’t want to lose my friend.”

“Don’t worry, Harper. I’ll never die! How can I die when I have to protect you?”

“I’ll protect you, too, Ian!” I reasoned and leaned back to give him a wide smile.

“Yes! We can protect each other,” he encouraged and held my hand. Glancing over to Sam and Dolly, he added, “We’re going to go change now!”

They nodded as we raced to my room to get into our pajamas.

Ian didn’t normally sleep in my room, but he’d come early in the morning to wake me up for school. I’d gotten used to the routine - mornings with Ian and nights with Wolfie.

Wolfie didn’t come all the time at night, but this week he’d snuggled with me when I was trying to sleep. His fur was just so soft, his body warm and like a comfortable pillow. My imaginary friend really liked him.

“Harper, we should think of a name for your imaginary friend.”

“Why?” I wondered. “She’s me…well…um…she reminds me of Wolfie, but she’s all white and has very blue eyes like mine!”

“Hmm.” Ian paused his movement to stare at me. He then leaned in to whisper, “You can’t tell anyone else that.”

“Why?” I quietly gasped and leaned in further. “Is it bad? Will it hurt my imaginary friend?” I didn’t want to do anything that would hurt her. She meant everything to me.

“No,” he admitted, but looked to the door. “Hold on.”

He shuffled over to the door and opened it enough to peek into the hall. I think he was trying to make sure Dolly and Sam weren’t nearby. Closing the door, he rushed back as Muffin launched onto the bed and sat next to my unicorn pajamas.

“Dolly and Sam said I’m not supposed to tell you,” he admitted, looking uncomfortable as he fidgeted in place. His face began to grow redder as he muttered, “But I like you, Harper. I want you to know, but you can’t tell them. No matter what.”

“I can’t tell Dolly or Sam,” I whispered. “Is it bad?”

“No! It’s not bad…but well…I think I know why the hunters were after you,” he admitted as he reached out for my hand to gently hold it. His eyes remained on the floor as he whispered, “They did the same to me. That’s why I live with Dolly and Sam now.”

“What? Why would the hunters be after you?” I questioned. I couldn’t understand, and neither could my imaginary friend.

Ian lifted his head to look into my eyes, and he gestured for us to sit on the floor. Once we were facing each other with our legs crossed and hands in each others’, he whispered, “You have to promise you won’t tell. I’ll get in trouble if Sam or Dolly find out.”

“Trouble…like you won’t be able to live here anymore?”

“Maybe.” He looked sad all of a sudden. “I…was like you. My family…isn’t here anymore. They’re in heaven now.”

My mouth hung open. It felt like my heart had dropped out of my chest.

“In…heaven,” I repeated.

“Two years ago. When I was five…like you! They tried to get me a new family, but they wanted a normal boy.”

“That’s what they said to me!” I emphasized. “They wanted a normal girl. Not me. Are we not normal?”

If we’re not normal, what are we?

“Different.”

Ian squeezed my hands to get my attention.

“We’re just different, Harper. Unique, like Officer O’Neil says. There’s nothing bad about it. I think it’s because a lot of people wish to be not normal, so when they see people like us, they get upset because they want to be different, too.”

“So…we’re just special. Special is good.”

“Mhmm!” He let go of one of my hands to tap his head. “Your imaginary friend is in here, right?”

“Ya,” I replied with a smile. “She helps me make good choices and protects me.”

“Can you change yet?”

“Change?” I didn’t understand. “Change clothes?”

“No.” Ian shook his head. “Change into a wolf, like how you said your imagery friend is a white wolf with pretty blue eyes.”

“No…” I frowned. “I can change?”

Ian slowly nodded as he looked to the door for two seconds and pressed his free hand to his lips to make sure I’d remain very quiet.

“We’re wolf shifters, Harper. Well…I am. I think you are, too. Dolly and Sam aren’t sure because you haven’t shifted yet. They can’t find anything on your family background either.”

“Wolf shifter,” I repeated. “Meaning…I’m a wolf?”

“Maybe,” Ian replied but looked hesitant as he lowered his gaze to my hand as he began fiddling with my fingers.

“Wolfie.”

“Ian?” His name barely escaped my lips, but he looked up to meet my eyes, allowing me to stare into those silver spheres of his.

“You’re Wolfie…aren’t you?”

The room was quiet, and for a moment I saw the fear in his eyes. Like he was afraid that the truth would make it so we weren’t friends anymore.

Slowly, he looked away and muttered, “If…I was…would you hate me?”

His voice was the quietest I’d ever heard him speak, almost as if he were ashamed or something. If only he knew just how happy I was to know that he and Wolfie were the same person. My gratefulness bubbled outward as I reached over to hug him tightly.

“H-Harper?” Ian questioned as his body stiffened, but I only hugged him tighter.

Ian is Wolfie. He saved me. He saved us.

Could words really express how happy and thankful I was? In that dark and scary place, left to look at the moon and the starry sky, I was all alone and was going to die.

I didn’t want to die…I was frightened of fading away. He saved me from it all.

Even after the scary night, whenever I was here, Wolfie would curl up and comfort me. Since the beginning of meeting Ian, he protected me. How could I be blessed with such a wonderful friend?

“Thank you, Ian,” I whispered, not even realizing I was crying. “Thank you, Wolfie.”

He remained still, but slowly his arms wrapped around me as he hugged me back.

“I told you I’d protect you. I’ll always protect you, Harper.”

“And my imaginary friend!” I declared.

“Yes,” he replied. He helped me wipe away my tears before we settled on the floor again. “We should think of a name for your friend.”

“Do we have to? She doesn’t know what to choose,” I admitted while thinking about it. It felt like she wasn’t sure what to call herself. “Is she a wolf like Wolfie?”

“I think so,” Ian replied. “Sam and Dolly can’t find out if she is. I was listening to the conversation they were having with that woman who always wears white.”

“The psy…psy…um…mental lady!”

“Mhm. She thinks it’s just a phase. She said the same about Wolfie.”

“When did you shift?”

“In February. It was during a winter storm. I was exploring after school and the blizzard came out of nowhere. It was really cold, and I just wanted to go home. Wolfie saved me and brought us back home. Sam says everyone is different. Some people can shift right away as a baby, and some have to wait till they’re an adult. Everyone is different.”

“So my wolf…or imaginary friend…um…hmm. What can I call her?”

We thought about it for a long moment before Ian smiled.

“Reika!”

“What does that mean?” I asked, but immediately noticed how happy my imaginary friend - or wolf - was with the name.

“I read it in a book. It’s a name for a girl who has the power of a wolf. Um…it also means the foundation of home! Sam explained it to me. I think it suits your wolf. She’s powerful and very protective of you, and always leads you back home!”

“Home…” I said the word like it was forbidden, lifting my hands to stare at them. Ian placed his hand in mine, and Muffin came out of nowhere and jumped onto our joined hands.

“Meow!” she replied and looked between us. We giggled and smiled at her cuteness before my eyes locked onto Ian’s.

“This is your home now, Harper,” he whispered. “Yours and Reika’s, from now on. I’ll get to show you around and everything.”

“Are there more of us?”

“Yes, but it’s kinda complicated,” he admitted and tried to think of something. “Let’s say…the wolves here are endangered…but…they are named after…certain kids here! Like um…Carter! Yes. Carter named one of the wolves after himself!”

“He did?” I asked in wonder. “Do I get to name a wolf?”

“Uh…I don’t think Dolly is getting any more,” Ian admitted. “She and Sam have their hands full…but maybe we can help them together.”

“Help them?”

“Yes! Once we show you around, you can help us um…tame them? Ya. I think that’s what it’s called. A Wolf Tamer!”

“Wolf…Tamer,” I repeated.

“Dolly will explain more, but you’ll help the wolves here…and maybe if you’re good, you can meet my friends who named each of the wolves!”

“Friends. That means I’ll have more friends!”

“Mhm!” Ian declared, but held my hands tightly. “But…I’m your first and best friend forever!”

“Of course!” I cheered.

“Meow!” Muffin chipped in.

“You too, Muffin,” Ian said with a laugh. “Oh ya. When’s your birthday, Harper?”

“It passed already.”

“Huh? You mean months ago?”

“No. September 5th.”

“EH?! That was one week ago. Wait…” He trailed off and frowned, but I shrugged.

“Ya. That’s the day the man was being mean. He said he’d get me a cake when the nice mom was there. I really wanted one…but deep down I really wanted to see my family again.”

Ian’s frown deepened and Muffin hopped onto his shoulder just so he could move to give me a hug.

“Dolly said she’s going to get a nice area for your family. They don’t really have anywhere to put them…you know. The ashes.”

I understood, but it didn’t take away the hurt his words delivered to my beating heart.

“I still miss them,” I whispered and pulled back to stare at him with teary eyes. “Will I always miss them? I don’t want to forget them…but it’s hard to miss them all the time.”

“It gets better,” Ian admitted with a sad smile. “Dolly says with time.”

“Time,” I repeated the single word.

“Don’t worry, Harper. I’ll ask Dolly to make you a cake!”

“You don’t have to. It’s over now.”

“Harper is getting a nice cake!” he declared. “No excuses.”

I couldn’t help but smile. “When’s your birthday?”

“May 5th.”

“We should celebrate together!”

“It was MONTHS ago, Harper,” he reasoned.

“Ian gets a cake!” I declared with happiness. We laughed and clapped our hands.

“We’ll share a cake!” he encouraged. “Dolly makes really good ones.”

“We should hurry up and change then!”

“I’ll race you!” Ian replied and rushed to the other side of the bed to get his pajamas.

“HEY! You’re cheating,” I pointed out as he already was lifting his shirt up. He had his pajama top on by the time I got my long sleeve shirt off. “Why are long sleeve shirts so hard to take off!”

“They’re not hard!” Ian replied and looked at me. He stared for a long five seconds before he turned around.

“What?”

“Um…” Ian began and it looked like his ears were red. “Carter told me I should turn around whenever a lady is changing.”

“Why?”

“For…um…privacy! Manners or something like that.”

“Oh. Okay.” I didn’t really care. Brother never needed to do that, but it sounded cool. “Thank you, Ian!”

I took advantage by changing quickly, and before I knew it, I was done.

“I WIN!”

“I gave you a head-start, silly,” Ian said and laughed.

“You put your shirt on wrong,” I pointed out and he looked down to see the back tag was sticking out in the front.

“Aww, man! Clothes are confusing.”

“I know!” I agreed. “I’ll help you.”

It wasn’t long before I helped him fix it and we were cheering in success before the door opened to reveal Dolly, Sam, and Officer O’Neil.

We high-fived one another as we declared, “Teamwork!”

“Were you two helping one another?” Dolly inquired.

“Ya!” I replied and pointed to Ian’s Batman top. “Ian wore his shirt backward.”

“By accident!” Ian stressed. “I was being a man and giving Harper privacy!”

“Were you, kiddo? That’s really good,” Sam praised.

I looked around the room, noticing Officer O’Neil was here which surely meant something had been decided on. “Do I get to stay here?”

Dolly smiled and walked over to us.

“Well,” she began as she crouched down in front of me. “We’ll have to do a really big dinner celebration for Harper’s…new home!”

“YEAH!” we cheered and hugged Dolly with all our might. “I have a family!” I cheered.

“Harper’s my friend forever!” Ian added.

Dolly laughed as she hugged us both, and I moved to hug Sam and then Officer O’Neil. “Wait. Does that mean I won’t see you ever again, Officer O’Neil?”

I looked at him with wide eyes that were beginning to fill with tears.

He smiled and crouched down just to press his forehead against mine.

“What about this? Whenever you want me to come over and I’m not working, I’ll drop by.” he offered. “And you can just call me O’Neil, Harper.”

“YEAH!” I beamed at the news and hugged him. He lifted me up and gave me a bear hug before lowering me back down.

“Why don’t we go help set the table for Dolly?”

“Okay!” we cheered and headed to the door, but Ian stopped and turned to look at the three adults as Muffin reached my feet. I picked her up as Ian cleared his throat.

“Reika!” he declared like the name was an announcement. “That’s Harper’s imaginary friend’s name. She’s really nice.”

All three of them were quiet, but they nodded in understanding.

“Good!” Ian replied and reached for my hand. “Let’s go, Harper.”

“Okay! We should get Muffin some food!”

“Meow!”

“Sure!” Ian agreed as we skipped down the hallway, hand in hand.

“Wolf shifter.”

Yes. We’re a wolf shifter…I guess. Not a weird mutt, or a dog, or anything like that. We have to keep it a secret if we want to stay here forever with Ian. No one can know. Just you and me.

A smile formed on my lips at the idea of finally having a place to stay and a new family. For the first time in a very long time, I was happy.

Happy to be alive.

4

SACRED MOON SHELTER FOR ENDANGERED WOLVES

“This place is HUGE, Dolly!”

My eyes couldn’t stop looking at every angle they could grasp as I squeezed Dolly’s hand.

We walked down the gravel path while Dolly continued to take me on this grand tour of the Sacred Moon Shelter for Endangered Wolves.

Yesterday had been spectacular. We’d enjoyed a big feast to celebrate having Reika and me join Dolly’s family.

From what I’d gathered thus far, Dolly and Sam were married but couldn’t have kids. I didn’t really understand why, but Dolly said it was a tricky process to have kids, so she decided that she wanted to help save endangered wolves from becoming completely extinct.

It was something they had invested in for years, but on this particular property, they liked to keep six specific wolves. They had a few other places on the mountains where the packs of wolves were bigger, but like the word “sacred” this place was special, so they kept the number very small.

The town we lived in was called Moonshine Haven. It was in some remote area in British Columbia. I wasn’t really good with places on the map because they were boring to me. At first, it was exciting when my family would have to move to a new place, but then it got to the point where that was all we were doing.

Settling and moving to a new place to try to settle for as long as we could.

I remembered that part of our life: finding somewhere new, only to move every couple of days. If we lasted a week to a month, it was a blessing, but that normally only happened at Christmas time because everyone was busy, and no one was trying to find us.

I don’t remember why they were looking for us though.

Remaining here for a week, even with the school stuff, was exciting to me. It helped me not miss my family as much. Ian did say it would get better with time, and deep down, I really hoped it would because I really missed Mommy, Daddy, and my brother.

Today, Dolly was going to show me around what she liked to call the “sanctuary”. Originally, Rogan used to run this place, which was a little surprising to me. He didn’t seem like a person who cared about anyone else but himself, but she explained it was complicated.

Part of that was due to the complexity of the wolves. They were all rare breeds and extremely hard to tame. He wasn’t very good at the “taming,” which left the wolves pretty restless. In the end, she’d been called from Vancouver with Sam to come and assess the situation as a whole.

It didn’t take long for the wolves to adapt to them, and they made this place their home while Rogan became a third person in charge. In the beginning, there were many wolves that were here, but they were shuffled to other sanctuaries. However, there have always been five that remained, and a sixth was added two years ago.

Reika quietly told me she thought the last wolf was Ian, and I couldn’t help but agree. We didn’t tell Dolly because it was our little secret, but I was really glad he got to stay.

Ian was napping since we’d both stayed up all night talking and playing. I even got to play with Wolfie for a bit. He’d stayed with me until early in the morning when we’d fallen asleep, and when I woke up, he was still awake, guarding me while I slept.

Ian and Wolfie made me feel really safe, and it was easier to sleep now that I didn’t have to worry about hunters trying to get me.

By the time we’d finished breakfast, which was a nice plate of pancakes with chocolate syrup and strawberries, Ian was asleep at the table. Sam had to carry him back to his bed, so Dolly said she’d take me on a tour while he rested.

It gave me a chance to really be close to Dolly and learn more about her and this place she invested so much of her life into. I liked when people devoted their time to things. Daddy always said that when someone puts a lot of intention into one thing, it means they’re very passionate about it and want it to grow into something bigger or better.

He explained it showed commitment, just like how we worked hard to tend to the animals of the forest.

We walked down a path that led to a large, caged area. The metal was gold and black, and I immediately saw a black wolf with blue eyes.

I couldn’t help but stop at the sight - forcing Dolly to stop as well. She didn’t seem in the slightest bit worried as the wolf stared at me for a long moment before strolling right to the gate.

Dolly tugged my hand to force me to approach until we were facing the fence wall.

“Woof!”

I flinched at the sound, and couldn’t help but hide behind Dolly as she giggled.

“Easy, Hayden! Our princess here hasn’t met y’all yet. Don’t go frightening her now.”

Hayden backed away a bit before sitting on all fours. His tail wagged from side to side in eagerness, but his eyes were totally on me as Dolly tugged me over to the door. She had to enter some type of code on a pin pad before she placed her hand on a scanning area that made a “beep” sound to confirm it was her.

Peeking out from my little hiding place behind Dolly, I couldn’t help but stare at Hayden as I took in his blue eyes. They were so different from mine. They weren’t even like Carter’s. They were a unique blue, but I couldn’t really tell what the exact shade could be. Maybe mine and Carter’s were similar in nature.

“Good.”

“Are you a good wolf?” I asked Hayden and worked on moving to the fence. He sat down and lowered his head, his eyes never leaving mine. I smiled as I took him in close, and before I knew it, I slipped my hand through the space of the fence to try to reach Hayden’s head. He moved slowly, just enough to rub his nose against the palm of my hand - triggering a giggle that escaped my lips.

“Your nose is wet!”

“Woof!” He sat down again, waiting for us to enter as Dolly finished whatever protocols needed to be done to gain access. She unlocked the gate before turning to me.

“Harper. You stay right there. I’m going to call the other wolves and have a little chat. They’re very intelligent, which means they can understand everything you say to them. So make sure you speak to them properly and not take advantage. If you say good things, they’ll know, just like if you say bad things. You hear me?”

“Yes, Dolly! I’ll be nice! See?” I turned to look at Hayden. “Hayden’s a good boy! Reika says so.”

Dolly was staring at me, and I guessed she wasn’t sure what I meant about Reika saying Hayden was a good boy, but she let it pass. “Right. One moment then.”

Returning my attention to Hayden, I reached out again and he poked my hand with his nose, making me giggle once more. Dolly was smiling, watching us before she took out a whistle.

When she blew through it, the sound made me still as the weird noise pierced through the air. The sound had an odd effect to it, making it hard for me and Reika to just stand where we were. I could feel Reika’s shock, while we tried to remain in place.

I managed to do it but noticed Hayden take a few steps forward before he looked back at me. He seemed indecisive as he looked back and forth, but eventually he walked back to the fence, but turned his body so his back was facing me and his attention was on Dolly as he sat down.

In seconds, four wolves came out of nowhere, catching my attention as they came into view. One of them immediately reminded me of Hayden, only he had pure white fur that reminded me of Reika, but the same blue striking eyes as Hayden.

The moment those identical eyes met mine, he ran over until he was right next to Hayden and watching me with interest. I looked at the two of them in great fascination, realizing they looked almost identical if it wasn’t for their different fur colors.

They reminded me of twins, like I’d learned about in books. I’d never met a set of twins before, but I thought it was cool to have a brother or sister with the same traits as you.

Unlike Hayden, I didn’t hesitate to put my hand through the fence near the other wolf’s head, and he poked his nose into the palm of my hand like Hayden had. I laughed and even got to brush his white fur while Hayden reached out to lick my hand.

I kept giggling at the ticklish sensation while I enjoyed taking them in up close.

“Hayden! Heston! Come here and stop pestering Harper!” Dolly called out.

The two of them panted happily at me, their tongues out, before they nudged my hand with their heads and ran towards where Dolly and the remaining three wolves stood.

All three of them were staring my way, almost like I was their dinner, which made me a little uncomfortable, but Reika didn’t care as she was staring right back at them.

Obviously, they couldn’t see her, but regardless, I couldn’t help but be intrigued by the wolves’ unique coats of fur and wonderful eyes. Even from this distance, I could capture each unique shade, which was beginning to make me realize why they were endangered.

Why hunters wanted them.

They were each beautiful in their own way, and I decided to start with the first wolf on the far left.

He had dark grey fur with a few white areas. His eyes captivated me immediately because they were sapphire. I knew about that color because Mommy always wore a necklace with a little gem in that exact shade.

The second wolf on the far right had orange fur with a few gold sections that appeared extra radiant with the sunlight. It made his fur shimmer, just like his golden eyes.

The middle wolf had to be the leader because he was twice the size of all of them. He had pure white fur with a few golden tinsel strands highlighting his coat. Along his legs, those tinsel strands shifted to a teal color, making him more unique.

What sucked me right in was his mismatched eyes: one was gold and the other turquoise. It made him look extremely powerful. He kinda reminded me of Muffin, only the power pulsing from this being was enough to make me frightened.

He was beautiful, there was no denying that, but Reika and I struggled to figure out what to label him. He was the leader, so what label went with that?

He noticed the way we were staring at him, his eyes narrowing before a growl escaped his lips.

“Scary.”

Very scary. Not cute at all.

“Carter,” Dolly groaned. “No scaring Harper! You see her growling at you? No! Stop being a jerk.”

Carter? Wait…didn’t Ian say his friends got to name each of the wolves? Carter must have named this one after him. Hmm…that would make sense. They have the same eyes. That must be nice for Carter to find a wolf that matches him nicely.

There was something to this wolf, though. Something deep within my mind begged for me to remember this specific wolf, but I couldn’t grasp it. I couldn’t understand why when I’d never met these wolves before, let alone one as magnificent as Carter.

Hayden and Heston barked, catching my attention. I realized they were back at the fence and waiting for my hands. I immediately forgot what I was thinking about and reached out to press my hands to the fence.

They licked my palms and rubbed their noses against my flesh again. With a giggle, I leaned in to whisper, “You two are nice. Go back to Dolly.”

They both stretched at the same time before their bodies shook out their coats of fur and they ran back to be with the others. They ended up in a line formation - Hayden and Heston separating to go to their designated spots at each end of the line.

Dolly put her hands on her hips and stared down at each of them before she bobbed her head. “Now this is Harper Blake!” She paused to point over to me. “She is going to be living here from now on. Not only is she going to help me around here, but she’s also going to help take care of you guys when I can’t.”

“Woof!” Carter barked and began to growl. Maybe he was opposed to the idea, but the others didn’t seem to mind. Hayden and Heston were already sitting down and looking elsewhere. The dark grey wolf was focused on its front paws, and the orange-golden wolf was fully intrigued by a passing butterfly that landed on its snout.

Dolly sighed and looked specifically at Carter.

“No arguing with me, Carter! No one else is opposed to this, so you have to suck it up. As of next week, she’ll legally be my daughter.”

That caught their attention - all of them - and they looked at Dolly with seriousness.

They’re really smart wolves.

“Smart smart.”

“That means she’ll be here every day helping me out and learning the ropes. It also means she’s going to want to know about each of you. That means you don’t get to be jerks! Treat her nicely or you’ll get an earful from me. Do you understand? You know I won’t repeat myself, you hear?”

The row of wolves was silent as one by one they began to bow their heads in agreement - except for Carter, who was staring in my direction.

“WOOF!”

The sound didn’t come from in front of us but behind me. I looked behind me to see Wolfie running towards me, panting happily as ever. Sam wasn’t too far behind, taking his time to walk towards us.

“WOLFIE!” I cheered with my hands up. I took a few steps in his direction, but it only took five seconds for him to reach me as he pushed off the ground and tackled me.

I laughed hysterically as he began to lick my face in greeting. I gave him a hug. I couldn’t help but be excited because I’d missed him. I knew he was Ian, but it was nice to see Wolfie during the daytime.

I could now admire his brown fur coat with mixes of dark brown and white.

He moved off me so I could rise and brush off my baggy jeans and loose black t-shirt. I didn’t have many “day” clothes, so Dolly said she’d get me a proper wardrobe of clothes to fit my smaller frame - hopefully after my adoption went through.

Wolfie was staring at me with his brilliant silver eyes, and I reached out to stroke his head.

“Afternoon, Wolfie! Did you come to play?”

“Woof!” He moved to rub his head against my body, making me giggle as I realized he was a bit bigger than the others - except for Carter.

When Sam reached us, I lifted my hands up to offer him a hug. “Morning, Sam!”

He couldn’t hide the way my greeting touched him as he leaned down to give me a big hug and lift me up. “I swear it’s afternoon, child,” he replied.

I giggled. “Yes! But I never got to say morning to you because my mouth was full of good food. So, I have to say good morning AND good afternoon!”

His smile was priceless as he put me back down.

“You’re a peculiar one, Harper,” he complimented.

“Does that mean I’m cool?” I wondered.

“Very cool,” he whispered and gave me a wink.

“Yes!” I cheered and jumped up and down while Wolfie ran around me.

“Wolfie! Come and get your pep talk with the others,” Dolly called out. Wolfie paused in his prancing to stop and look at me. “Woof?”

“Want me to come?” I asked. He began to pant happily before reaching out to tug at my jeans.

“Okay, okay,” I said and giggled.

“Guess it would be good to introduce you. Once they get a scent of you, they’ll be less resistant. Stay close to me, Harper,” Sam instructed.

“Okay, Sam!” I replied and reached for his hand. He seemed surprised by my gesture as I held his hand tightly, but he smiled and lightly squeezed my hand in return before we made our way to the others.

Sam was really tall. He was totally taller than Dolly, who reached his shoulder. His eyes were interesting in an odd way. They were red, but some days they were gold. His hair was black but had little silver strands.

Wolfie ran ahead and joined the line of wolves, squeezing in between Carter and the sapphire-eyed wolf, but he still kept his eyes on me.

Dolly greeted Sam with a loving smile as we moved to stand a few steps away from the rest.

“Now, Harper. I’m going to introduce each wolf to you. It’s gonna be difficult to remember at first, but you’ll get the hang of it.”

Dolly pointed to the far left. “That’s Hayden. He’s brothers with Heston, who has the white fur on the other end over there.” She moved her hand over to Heston, who sat up eagerly like his brother.

Hayden and Heston barked together, making me smile and catching Reika’s interest.

“Twins.”

“They’re twins!” I proudly stated as if I already knew it as fact.

Dolly looked over to me, giving me a broad smile. “Yes, they are. Good eye.”

Good job, Reika!

“Me good!”

“They’re usually together. Also, their furs switch colors when the seasons change. As of now, it’s fall so Hayden will have a black fur coat while Heston will have a white one. When winter hits, they will switch, so Hayden will have white fur and Heston will have black fur. Keep that in mind.”

“That’s really cool,” I replied as I made sure to keep it in my memory. I knew Reika would help me out if necessary.

Dolly moved her finger down to the next wolf - the dark grey wolf with sapphire eyes.

“This is Damien. He’s a smart and protective wolf. He doesn’t normally like fighting and keeps to himself. If you read to him, he’ll be super happy and attentive.”

“Woof!” Damien stretched out to sit down, looking unbothered as he stared at me for five long seconds before resting his head on his paws.

“Hi, Damien,” I squeaked and gave a slight wave. I wasn’t sure what to really do with these introductions. It felt different than when I greeted Wolfie.

“Damien takes his time showing interest in people. He’s friendly, just when he feels like it,” Sam explained with a chuckle.

Dolly nodded and moved her finger down to Wolfie.

“This is Ia-I mean, Wolfie. You two already met. He’s curious and loves to break the rules all the time, which includes coming back into the house every night when he’s not supposed to or going to the forest.”

Wolfie whimpered as he blinked his silver eyes.

“Don’t be sad, Wolfie.” I giggled. “We can have more sleepovers!”

“Woof!” he replied.

I obviously knew he was Ian, but I pretended not to catch Dolly’s slip up.

“As long as he doesn’t bring mud into the house,” Dolly noted, making Sam smile while I giggled.

Dolly skipped Carter, who was still having a staring contest while looking super angry, to the wolf with orange and golden fur with brilliant gold eyes.

“This is Levi. He’s the second in command of the group. He doesn’t look it and sometimes people mistake Damien as the second in command, but that’s his role. When Carter is an ass and is on time out, Levi will take control. He’s very intelligent and likes chasing butterflies or anything in nature, really.”

Levi pawed at his face like he was super shy before peeking out to respond, “Woof.”

“Hello, Levi.” I gave him a wave.

Dolly returned her attention to Carter as she put her hands on her hips once more.

“Are you going to stop with that attitude? If not, I’m not introducing you. We don’t introduce rude wolves!”

Sam snickered at Dolly’s scolding, while Carter whimpered and sat back on his rear paws.

“That’s better,” Dolly acknowledged and gazed back at me. “This is Carter. He’s the Alpha of the pack. He has anger management issues.”

“WOOF!” Carter replied and growled.

Dolly didn’t seem like she gave a care in the world as she ignored him.

“Anyway. He’s very protective and basically an asshole to everyone, so don’t feel like he hates only you. He just dislikes everything that moves,” she concluded with an added shrug. “He does have some good days, but those are rare. Therefore, he’d just an asshole.”

“Dolly, I don’t think we’re supposed to be saying asshole in front of Harper,” Sam noted as I giggled.

“Carter’s an asshole.”

Sam groaned while Dolly blinked as if now realizing what she’d said.

“Shh. Don’t say that word around the people in suits until you’re sixteen, you hear?

“Yes, Dolly,” I replied with a big smile on my face.

Reika was having a blast right now, especially at the idea of Carter being upset. He was clearly holding back a growl, which was far too amusing.

“Anyhow, I’m going to show Harper around. Y’all be nice to her when I’m not around or else you’ll be in big trouble. Not individually, but as a whole. Understood?!”

The five of them howled while Carter stood there quietly with an annoyed expression.

“Carter,” Dolly said in warning as she raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms over her chest.

“Woof.” Carter’s reply was low and lacked as much energy as the others’, but I guess it was better than no reply at all.

“Good enough,” Dolly concluded with a shake of her head.

“Meow!”

We all turned our attention to the sound, noticing Muffin charging into the area. All six wolves watched her as she ran straight for Carter, leaped upward, and slapped his nose, which clearly left an obvious scratch.

“Uh oh…”

We watched in horror as Muffin darted straight to me until she was hiding behind my leg while Carter growled menacingly and took off straight towards us.

“Carter! Leave the kitten alone!” Dolly ordered, forcing Carter to skid to a stop inches from where I was. I stood my ground, even with how intimidating he looked while Muffin moved between my feet to hiss as she prepared to go for another ground of snout scratching.

With a pout of my lips, I looked down to the culprit before crouching down to scoop Muffin up before she could dart forward.

“Muffin! Stop being mean.”

“Meow!” Muffin hissed, trying desperately to get out of my hold while Carter’s growl grew louder and louder and his sharp white teeth began to show.

Reika and I stared at him with an emotionless expression. I felt almost bored looking at his obvious act of aggression, and the more he growled, the more irritating it was.

With two steps, I roughly patted his nose, which silenced his growls as he looked at me in shock, just like Dolly and Sam, who gasped at my sudden move. Wolfie was already approaching us, as if he were worried Carter would hurt me, but my eyes were locked on the Alpha while my words were loud and clear with Reika’s support.

“Stop being a meanie!” I demanded and lifted Muffin with my other hand to show her size. “Muffin is so tiny compared to you. Don’t be a bully!”

Moving Muffin closer, I lightly tapped her nose. “And Muffin! You, too. Stop being mean. You don’t go and scratch wolves that are triple your size! Carter is like five times bigger than you and he didn’t even do anything to you! Mommy always says not to fight battles you can’t win! Don’t be an asshole!”

“Meow…” Muffin sulked at my scolding and I smirked and hugged her to my cheek. “Be a good Muffin!” She purred in return as she snuggled against my cheek. Lowering her back to the ground, I looked back at Carter, who was quietly staring at me.

Compared to before, I slowly reached out to lightly tap his nose.

“Sorry for hitting you, but don’t be mean to Muffin,” I apologized, yet stressed my upcoming point. “She’s alone in this world. She doesn’t have any family or friends. Only us. We have to be nice to her so she’s not lonely, okay?”

Carter looked down at Muffin as she sat down quietly and looked up at Carter with her big, mismatched eyes.

“Meow.” She actually looked like she was sorry, and Carter let out a huff through his nose before looking back at me.

“Woof!”

With a poke of his nose at my hand, he lowered and nudged Muffin’s little head with his nose before turning away. He took a few steps, pausing next to Wolfie as he gave him an intrigued look. Then he looked away and walked back to the others. Wolfie took the chance to move to where I stood before wrapping his body around my legs and sitting so he could lick Muffin’s head.

“Well, you don’t see that every day,” Dolly admitted with a wide grin.

“Excellent work, Harper,” Sam complimented.

“Hmmm. Is he mad that I hit him? I didn’t mean to…it kinda just happened.”

Dolly laughed and shook her head. “Carter only gets out of his anger fits by getting smacked a little bit. Wolves do it all the time when they don’t get along. I think he was simply thrown off that you did it.”

“Isn’t that…uh…animal…um…”

“Animal abuse?” Sam finished. “No. Some wolves are just a little more aggressive. It’s in their nature, but Alphas specifically need a visible display of aggression to confirm you have power and aren’t someone they can easily bowl over. Carter is one of those. His specific breed with the added notion that he’s an Alpha focuses on being powerful and strong. As leaders, it’s hard for them to take orders from others, unless he respects them, which sometimes means roughing him up a bit with an aggressive attitude.”

“Think of it like competition. The others are easy to deal with, so you won’t need to be aggressive to get your point across, but with Carter, he needs it to think straight. Not all the time, but in situations with new people, he’s like that,” Dolly explained.

“That…sounds…complicated,” I concluded.

“When you get older, you can read all about their different races. For now, why don’t we finish the tour so we can get the wolves some lunch and make something for ourselves as well?”

“Yes! I’m hungry!” I replied with Reika’s agreement.

“Meow!” Muffin moved away to walk over to the other wolves. Compared to Carter, she interacted with the others with a gentler approach. They clearly acknowledged her size as they would lower to the floor and inspect her up close before nudging her with their noses in greeting.

Once she was done, she ran back to my feet where Wolfie was clearly sleeping. She snuggled against his nose and began to purr happily.

“Guess the wolves will get along with Muffin just fine,” Dolly stated with a smile. “Shall we get back to work?”

“Okay!” I replied with a wide smile, feeling more at home now that I knew even more about this wonderful place. It felt like I had a duty now, and I really loved these wolves.

It was my job to protect them, like Dolly and Sam, and I’d do exactly that with everything I had.

The hunters can’t have them. They’re my wolves to protect. My new family…my new home.

5

WATCHFUL GUARDIAN

~CARTER~

“NOT FAIR.”

I opened one eye at my wolf’s comment. He was in a bad mood - no, he was always in a bad mood - but I guess I couldn’t help but agree with his annoyance for it was clearly valid.

Closing my eyes once more, I pondered lazily whether I should move or not. I wasn’t sure if I was sulking or losing motivation due to our complicated circumstances.

My wolf was right. It wasn’t fair. To feel like we were stuck because we couldn’t reveal what we truly knew - we couldn’t scream at the top of our lungs what the world should acknowledge.

Sadly, this was my duty, like Sam and Dolly always emphasized. It was always the same repetitive reminder. That as Alpha, it was my duty to be quiet about what I knew for the sake of protecting the pack I took under my wing.

It never was really my intention. It simply happened.

First came Damien. Then Levi. Soon it was Hayden and Heston. And then two years ago, Ian came along. Others came and went, but there was always something about these five individuals that tugged within my heart and made me yearn to be their guardian.

It was like my destiny was to protect them, and sometimes I disliked having this role.

So much responsibility… it’s scary.

It wasn’t like I’d asked to be an Alpha. It fell into my lap due to birthright, but what was harder was having all this information stuck in my head with no way of letting it out.

I wasn’t allowed to speak my truth because the truth carried far worse consequences than silence.

Maybe that was why I struggled to sleep at night.

No. There’s more to it now.

Opening my eyes once more, I decided to get up and shake out my coat of fur before stretching my limbs.

I wasn’t on duty tonight, but seeing as I couldn’t sleep, it just made sense to lay in my wolf form and try to relax in the realms of nature.

My eyes scanned the area I was in, taking in the large stones with inscribed symbols while I inhaled the scent of pink flowers.

My safe place.

It used to be “our” safe place, a spot I shared with someone who was chosen just for me. And then everything changed.

I shook my head to get the dark thoughts out. It never was a good idea to think badly when in wolf form. It riled up my emotions - made me angry - and then I’d take it out on anything that moved.

With a huff, I looked up to the starry sky and couldn’t help but howl. The sound echoed around us, making the pink flowers begin to illuminate while a gust of wind passed us. The flame of magic within my body was easier to access in this form.

Many people didn’t believe in magic, and I guess it made sense. People didn’t believe in wolves either, but we existed. Witches or magic users in general existed, and some of us blended in because of our wolf tendencies.

I was one of the precious few who could do many things. I had powerful magic, but I personally liked to fight like a man. Alpha wolves didn’t like using magic. Something to do with it being a shortcut when it came to validating one’s strength.

In our world, you had to use physical strength to your advantage, while in the world of magic, people used mana. The more you had, the stronger you became, but with strength, you had to work hard to get stronger.

Slack and you’d be knocked out.

I wanted to be a powerful Alpha with big muscles when I was older. That was my goal. So I could protect everyone I love.

If I’d found her first, she’d love me more than Ian…

Harper.

She was the girl who would be Dolly’s daughter tomorrow. She’d been here for a month now; four solid weeks having passed since Dolly introduced her to us.

Just thinking of her made that sinking feeling of dread grow and grow, and I knew if I kept staying here, I’d do what I disliked.

I’d cry…

So instead, I howled one more time and began to run from my sacred space of comfort, leaving behind the memories that were one-sided and getting lost in the instincts of my wolf. His sadness was as heavy as mine, the two of us in solid agreement at how unfair our life was in this defining moment.

I was struggling to accept that our Mother Moon had planned this for me, but there was nothing I could do to change what had happened.

We have to be patient.

“And what will that reward us?”

My wolf had a point. We’d been patient and all that landed us was memory problems, responsibilities, and missing the opportunity to be near Harper.

How I despised Wolfie right now, getting to snuggle with her every night like a selfish brat. He took my place, took my duty, while running around being a disobedient fool.

We followed the rules like we always did and where did that get us?

On the sidelines while Ian got Harper’s attention.

Instead of being looked upon as a hero and Alpha, I was the angry wolf. The thought made me huff and run even faster, the world around me blurring until it was nothing but color as I pushed myself to my fastest speed.

I was so angry…so heartbroken. Why was everything so unfair? Had I done something wrong? Had I not done what an Alpha should? I hated being mature. Hated being a leader. It was just not fair.

This makes me miss…home.

I felt someone following me, my senses picking up their swift movements. Their familiar scent made me slow down, and I decided I shouldn’t go too far. I had to have gone far enough for the adults to notice, so it was best to give them an explanation.

Slowing to a stop, I waited until my eyes caught onto the large black wolf with hints of dark brown mixed into his coat. He was double my size. As he reached where I stood and I caught my breath, his bright blue eyes locked onto my currently golden ones.

“Stressed?”

I wasn’t expecting his question as I caught my breath and shook out my coat that was drenched in sweat. When I pushed myself like that, it made my body go into overdrive, which left me feeling hot and sweaty in no time.

A little…what you doing here, O’Neil?

Officer O’Neil was one of the few who regularly patrolled the area to make sure hunters didn’t get close to the forest. I’d known him since I’d arrived, and I personally liked him because he listened to me.

He wouldn’t remind me what my duty was, or why I had to keep my emotions tucked away. He let me express myself, and if I needed to have an outburst or cry, it was allowed in his presence.

“You went pretty far,” he acknowledged and lifted his head so I could acknowledge the area we were in. I didn’t recognize this place, which could have been a problem if O’Neil hadn’t stopped me.

There were only a certain amount of areas we wolves could enter. If we accidentally went into enemy territory or the land of another pack we weren’t associated with, it would be extremely troublesome.

Sorry…I was…um…

“Stressed,” he repeated, and I nodded my head. “Let’s go back. We can talk about it when we reach the shelter grounds.”

With another nod, I followed his lead as we made our way back. I felt like O’Neil was running slower on purpose so I could keep up, but once we got to familiar land once more, I increased my speed and let my human senses fade away.

That’s when I heard it.

My wolf shoved into control as we skidded to a stop in time to shift our gait to the right and push off the ground - a second before our bared teeth locked onto a brown wolf.

The scent of smoke filled my nostrils, but I did everything I needed to disable the wolf that was desperate to get out of my hold. It was double my size, but that wasn’t going to be a disadvantage to me as I continued to bite on their neck.

I only needed to do it for a few more seconds, and when I sensed that looming threat, I let go and pushed off the ground as a gust of wind shot at me - sending me further into the air as I watched O’Neil’s massive body land on the target.

Seconds before he ripped them to shreds.

Compared to me with my white coat stained in blood, the dark red stain barely showed on O’Neil’s soft coat. The battle was over before it even began, and I noticed the lingering gun that was stationed upon a rock.

It made me sad to think about it because this wolf should have been a part of a pack. Instead, they were taking orders from those who hunted us.

The wolves who took contracts for big money to try to hurt us.

“Are you okay, Carter?”

I turned my attention back to O’Neil as he walked around the remains of our attacker. He was doing it on purpose, leaving his scent to ensure those who found this man knew who his killer was.

The moment they caught O’Neil’s scent, they wouldn’t try to fight back. Everyone in Moonshine knew he worked with the police department so if anyone tried to fight back and claim he murdered this man, they would get a one-way ticket to jail.

That’s how Sam explained it.

This was the side I didn’t want the others in the pack to see. They were oblivious to this side of the world, where we had to protect them with everything we had. They knew nothing about how I’d been trained to go on hunts or knew how to fight. Levi or Damien may catch on in the years to come, but Ian, Hayden, and Heston were too young.

All of us carried a traumatic past, and these things could trigger it. I didn’t want them to deal with the mental scrutiny. At least I knew I could handle it.

I can handle seeing blood and watching the speck of life fade away from one’s eyes. It was the circle of life.

I gave O’Neil a nod in reply. He shook out his fur, and we both made our way to the nearby stream where we easily washed off the blood.

O’Neil decided to switch into his human form, and I waited patiently as I watched him stretch before heading to the rock that hid a set of clothes for emergencies. There was also a phone and a walkie-talkie.

It wasn’t long before he made a call to the department to come do an investigation on the body and try to track if there were any others associated with him. Then, he used the walkie-talkie to talk to Sam.

“Nah, no one got hurt. Carter is with me.”

“He’s not supposed to be on duty today,” Sam noted, and I could tell he was mad.

“You’re right,” O’Neil admitted. “He couldn’t sleep, and you know his meds don’t kick in right away. Figured taking him for a stroll would be therapeutic and another learning opportunity. Glad I did. He’s the one who took the culprit down.”

That hushed Sam up real quick, and I happily looked at O’Neil as he smiled my way.

Sometimes I had to take medication to sleep. It didn’t really do much, but it cut down the time it took me to finally feel sleepy by half.

And made sure the nightmares stayed away.

An Alpha couldn’t let his packmates see his weaknesses, which was why I was grateful to O’Neil. I could cry, get angry, or have a full-on tantrum in his company, and it was okay.

I was allowed to express emotion with O’Neil.

“He’ll be home shortly. I’m gonna investigate a bit more.”

They said their goodbyes and O’Neil looked over to me.

“Can you get back on your own?” he inquired.

“Woof!” I replied. “Yes.”

O’Neil nodded, but he approached me until he stood before me. In this form, I was just above his waist. He knelt down on one knee and gently patted the sides of my face.

“I know things are frustrating behind the scenes,” he whispered, and it felt like he knew exactly how heavy the weight upon my shoulders was. “Just take things a day at a time, okay?”

Such simple words held far more power than he may have realized. The tiny whimper left me as I tried not to let the sadness of everything linger when I had someone who simply got where I was coming from.

I knew I couldn’t let those emotions free - not tonight when O’Neil has things to do - but it was a reminder that I had someone to talk to that wouldn’t smack me with the judgment card.

I have to remember that I’m not completely alone.

“Woof!” I responded. “Thank you.”

O’Neil smiled and hugged me with an added pat before he rose up.

“Get going, buddy,” he encouraged. “Howl once when you get home so I know you’re safe.”

I nodded and without delay, raced towards home. It didn’t take long from where we were, and soon enough, I was entering the private territory.

With one final howl into the air, I stretched for a bit while attempting to tame my tumbling emotions.

It’s okay…we’re okay.

I expected my wolf to say something to annoy me like he always did, but it felt like he was tired. After the brief attack we’d experienced, I guess it made sense with the spike of energy beginning to drop along with our desire to stay awake.

Even with our exhaustion, I still did a quick survey of our surroundings, before checking on the pack. They were sleeping in their wolf forms - Hayden and Heston curled up with one another in one corner of the gated space while Levi and Damien were sleeping near one of the fire pits that was long out.

I noticed Levi move just slightly before his head lifted even though his eyes were closed. He sniffed the air before poking one eye open to acknowledge where I stood from afar.

I’m okay. Doing rounds. You can sleep.

He stared at me for a long moment as his other eye opened. Those orbs of gold lazily blinked a few times. He lowered his head, but his voice quietly drifted into my mind.

“Ian is at Sam’s place.”

I was a bit surprised by his comment, but maybe he was telling me on purpose.

Good to know. Sleep. I’m gonna do one more round.

He closed his eyes then, his consciousness drifting out of our connected bond and clearly back into the realms of sleep. Deep down I felt like he was purposely giving me an opportunity.

A chance to check on Harper.

I took my time moving away from our designated area, hoping to not alert the others of my intentions or inner emotions that were all over the place.

Would it be bad to say I was slightly happy Ian wasn’t here tonight? Maybe I was a bad person for being excited to see Harper.

She’d be asleep and wouldn’t know I even arrived, but it would appease the level of yearning pulsing through me.

The desire to be by her side like I always should have been.

I quietly made my way through the house, already ensuring no mud - or lingering blood - cloaked my paws as I easily maneuvered through the dark. Compared to Ian, I knew how to get where I needed to be.

I have to know how to move within the shadows so I can blend in and protect those I love.

There were times when I disliked being like this - hated that every day led to my childhood ticking away as all the adults forced me to surrender my innocence for the sake of knowledge and power.

All because of duty.

It was my duty to lead, to prosper, and to protect those assigned to me. I had to be the head and not the tail in this forbidden tale, even though it felt like all that was destined for me was being robbed by the one who should have been at the tail of this pack.

At times, I wondered if I was really jealous of Ian.

It wasn’t his qualities or personality that bugged me. Neither was it his circumstances. My heart knew why I was jealous of him, and I guess my brain was simply playing catch up.

When I reached the door at the end of the hall, I stared at it for a hard minute before noticing it was slightly open. The sight should have brought more spikes of joy, but it only hurt me.

The door wasn’t left open for me…but him. The wolf I’m most envious of.

It was hard to explain how I felt. These bottled emotions of chaos, negative waves that hit me at every corner, and all because of the little things - the tiny opportunities that should have been mine to claim - were bubbling up.

It’s not fair…

I should have been there that night. It was my right - my destiny - and now I was forced to be nothing but a puppet. To be the protector from afar when I wanted nothing but to cuddle against the warm flesh of this girl and be her savior.

I should have been her saving grace.

As Alpha, that was my role, and yet it was taken by someone younger who was oblivious to how our world worked. How the hell was it even fair?

All the sacrifices I made for the sake of my pack, all the opportunities that should have left me feeling alive and excited to grow older, were replaced with constant ridicule and the demand to be better.

My free time was spent on training, fighting, learning everything I needed to be a true Alpha while carrying the weight of the Moonshine name, but where were those moments of grace? Those special chances where I could be reminded that all of this was worth it?

I wanted to be a kid too. I wished to play and have fun and be innocent like everyone else. When would I get the chance? Would I ever?

With a low huff, I turned away from the door. I wasn’t invited here. The door wasn’t left open for me. I’d never get a chance to be close to this girl I wish didn’t hate me.

How am I supposed to take it a day at a time when it feels like I’m drowning here and now?

“Carter?”

I froze at the tiny voice filled with sleep, and very slowly, I looked behind me to see Harper standing there.

Her eyes were barely open, looking as heavy as ever as they blinked again and again. I wondered if she thought I was an illusion of some sort - a dream in comparison to the reality during the day where I was the angry wolf that needed to be tamed.

I didn’t know what to do, and my wolf wasn’t any different. He was just as surprised as I, which left me in control of whether we walked away or approached her. My heart wanted us to approach - to get a closer look at the girl with long brown hair and brilliant blue eyes that were so similar to ours.

I’d never be allowed to tell her, but I loved them. I loved how they looked so similar to mine while reminding me that we could be something more.

We were destined to be something great.

I knew better. I couldn’t fall into the clutches of my wants. It wasn’t the “adult” thing to do - the Alpha thing to do - so I turned and decided to walk away.

“Don’t…go.”

My paws came to a stop, her trembling voice immediately putting my body on high alert as I wondered who hurt her. I looked back without thinking, noticing her eyes of shimmering teal beginning to fill with tears.

I could smell her fear, but it wasn’t ignited by me. She was frightened about something, and if I left, it would only make it spread within her senses until it consumed her entirely.

“Please?” She was begging me to stay, and that single word forced me to cave in to her demand as a single memory hit me.

“Please…don’t go, Carter.”

I saw pleading eyes of blue as a small hand reached out to desperately hold me. I reached outward, hoping to touch her hand one last time, but we were too far away as those masked by the shadows held our other hand and pulled us in opposite directions.

“Harper!” I called out. “We’ll be together again. Promise!”

THE MEMORY WAS GONE with a blink, but its effects ridiculed me to the point I couldn’t help but walk over to where Harper stood.

I noticed the immediate relief that swarmed her tense features, and when I was up close, she reached out to lightly tap my nose. Was that our new gesture between us thanks to the mischievous kitten? I wasn’t really sure, but it felt sacred.

Like it was just ours.

“I’m scared. The hunters will get me,” she whimpered, her tears falling down her pale white cheeks. It took me a second to acknowledge that she really was pale, far whiter than her usual complexion.

Sweat cloaked her flesh, and small, tiny strands of brown stuck to the sides of her face.

“Nightmare.”

My wolf wasn’t guessing. He knew that was exactly what woke Harper up. As much as I wanted to go away and continue this act of defiance, I nudged my head against her, lifting my head so I brushed at her wet cheeks.

“Can you stay?” she whispered, her shaking hands reaching out to hold the sides of my face. It forced me to look into her eyes.

I can’t say no to her.

“Woof!” I huffed quietly, but licked her face to try to comfort her. She ended up hugging me, and I could feel her shiver against me even though her body was blazing hot.

“Fever?”

Maybe.

That wasn’t good. I didn’t want her being unwell. When she let go of me, I went down on all fours, and she looked at me for a moment before she lay on top of me. I think she thought we’d sleep on the floor, but I lifted her up with ease and walked over to the bed.

I turned my body enough that she slid off me and onto the soft sheets, and I could tell she was already falling asleep. Tugging on the blanket, I covered her with it, but she whimpered.

“No…go.” She was clearly asleep now but could sense I wasn’t present. Without much thought, I got onto the bed, listening to the squeak of the frame from my weight.

She snuggled against me without a second thought, and her body relaxed immediately.

“Pump…kin,” she muttered the word as she took a deep inhale and let it out. A part of me wondered if she knew I was the scent of pumpkin, and a part of me wished she did - that she recalled this scent that she always associated with me.

I waited for her to be completely asleep before asking Levi to get Dolly. It wasn’t long until she was quietly sneaking into the room with a glass of water, a bottle of red pills, and a cold cloth.

“Good job, Carter,” Dolly praised when she reached the bedside. I took my time getting out of the bed, making sure I didn’t wake her with my movements.

Once out, I allowed my body to shift, until I stood there as Dolly worked on making sure Harper was comfortable. I stole one of Ian’s bigger t-shirts and a pair of pajama pants from the bottom drawer.

I purposely took his favorite ones with every intention of not bringing them back. I liked to bully him a little, but I guess it was better than hating him entirely.

When I was clothed, I watched as Dolly tucked Harper in and nodded.

“Sam and Ian aren’t going to be here till early in the morning. Poor girl is probably nervous about tomorrow.” She looked over at me and smiled. “Did you come to check on her?”

“No,” I huffed and looked away, ignoring the way my cheeks felt hot as the idea of me checking on Harper was becoming more obvious. “I was doing my Alpha duty.”

“Sure,” Dolly concluded and walked up to me. Crouching down, she gently stroked my head, which caught my attention.

“Are you okay?” I think she was asking about what had occurred earlier. I bet Sam had called to keep her informed about what was going on.

“I’m okay,” I replied. “I’m strong. None of the bad guys scare me.”

“I know,” she whispered, but pulled me into a hug and lightly patted my back. “You did very well, Carter.”

I didn’t understand why she was hugging or praising me, but I relaxed in her hold as my chin rested on her shoulder.

“Dolly?”

“Yes, Carter?”

“It’s…not fair,” I mumbled and closed my eyes. “She’s mine. Why does Ian get to have her?”

Dolly pulled back to look into my sad eyes, and I didn’t fight my tears as they flooded my vision, blurring it quickly. Dolly blinked her own eyes and moved her hands so she could brush away my first set of tears. Pressing her hands to my cheeks, she pressed her forehead against mine.

“I agree with you, Carter. Between you and me, it’s not fair, the way they’re treating you. Wishing for you to grow up far too fast. I know I contribute to such, and I’ll always apologize for it. I know why you’re angry, why your wolf is upset, but this is the best way to ensure Harper remains alive. You want her to be safe, right?”

I bobbed my head quickly as I sniffed. “Yes.”

“Then we have to play our parts to keep her safe,” she emphasized. “That means we have to make sacrifices, even though it hurts. But it won’t be forever. I promise, one day you’ll get to be by Harper’s side and not hide it at all. Okay?”

“Okay, Dolly,” I replied and tried to stop crying. She smiled and helped me wipe away my tears.

“Remember, between all of us, O’Neil and I will always listen to your needs, Carter. We’ll try to think of a solution so Rogan doesn’t always get his way, alright?”

“Alright,” I replied.

She smiled and rose up. “Harper should sleep most of the night, so you won’t need to change back unless you feel she’ll wake up. If she does, let me know so I can come give her those tablets. It’ll make sure she’s okay for tomorrow. She’ll be really disappointed if she’s unwell and misses the official appointment.”

“Okay,” I replied as if this were my new mission.

“Make sure you sleep, too,” she stressed. “Sam will be done with the investigation soon and we’ll go pick Ian up in the morning and bring him home. Make sure you’re back with the others by then, alright?”

“Yes, Dolly,” I whispered.

She gave me one more stroke on the head. “You’re going to be a good Alpha, Carter.” Turning around, she reached the door before she added, “And once the truth is revealed, you’ll be a good boyfriend, too.”

She was gone before I could try to ask her about what she meant.

In the silence of the room, I walked over to Harper’s bed and sat down on the floor to watch her. After some time, I noticed she was mumbling in her sleep and that she still looked pale.

Glancing at the medicine on the table with the glass of water, I looked back at her.

“Help Harper?”

With a mental nod in response to my wolf’s question, I took the pills and tossed them in my mouth before taking a bunch of water. I’d seen this in a movie once, and though it seemed weird to do, I wanted to help Harper any way I could.

Help her without hurting her.

In a single move, my lips met hers as the water passed through my mouth with the two pills and into hers. She took it without struggle as I held her head like in the movie. Pulling back, I made sure she was still asleep before laying her back down.

Tucking her in, I quietly moved away and finally made it to the hallway as I left the door open slightly. I finally let myself register what I’d done, my hand lifting to my lips.

Soft…

Her lips we so soft, but what made me smile was the thought of giving her a kiss - her first kiss? My…first kiss.

My lips further curled as I tried not to hop up and down. I wondered if it counted because she didn’t know about it?

A secret. Yes. I’ll keep it a secret.

I was good at that, it seemed: keeping all these secrets for the adults for the sake of my pack and Harper. It was for the better, and it proved that I was trustworthy of keeping them.

The only difference with this one was that it was my own little secret, a precious one that I’d hold onto until I could face Harper in this form and kiss her boldly…like a man.

For now, I’ll be her watchful guardian.

6

ADOPTED AND CELEBRATION

~HARPER~

“IT’S OFFICIAL. Congratulations, Harper. Dolly and Sam are officially your parents.”

I wasn’t sure my smile could get any wider as my cheeks hurt from smiling so hard. I tried to hide my excitement, but Ian was already cheering before he wrapped his arms around me.

“YES! Harper, you can stay with us forever now!” he exclaimed as loud as he could.

I squealed as he lifted me up and swung me around, again and again, the two of us laughing before he lost his balance and we fell to the floor.

“You two better not break anything!” Dolly called out. “Y’all rolling up a storm and next thing you know you’re knocking down my expensive vase!”

All we did was laugh harder. The level of joy was unmeasurable. We knew Dolly was just as happy as we were. Her voice was thick with emotion, which told us she was on the verge of crying.

Sam ended up walking over to give her a hug, and we got off the ground and ran to hug her tightly.

“You’re the best, Dolly!” we cheered. It was thanks to her firmness that this had happened. I wouldn’t have a place to call home if she didn’t fight for me, unlike all the other adults who thought of me as nothing but trouble.

We looked over at Sam, and I quickly added, “You too, Sam!” I didn’t want to leave him out. He’d been supportive of Dolly and gave her the added push she needed to get the other adults at the foster agency to listen to us.

Dolly had explained that it was harder for girls’ voices to get across, which was silly to me, but thanks to Sam’s help, the other adults had no choice but to listen. Dolly said that some people in this town were stuck in their old ways, and one of those was thinking men had more authority than women.

She was going to help change that and wanted to raise me so that I knew what I had to do or say to be taken seriously.

To not be pushed over.

“Let’s go to the truck before Dolly starts crying up a storm,” Sam encouraged.

“Dolly’s already crying,” Ian pointed out the obvious.

“Don’t go pointing things out, smarty-pants,” Dolly huffed and shooed us away. The two of us ran hand-in-hand to the truck.

As of today, I was officially Dolly and Sam’s daughter.

I’d been so frightened before going to bed that I’d had weird dreams all night. Dolly said I almost got a fever or something, but I’d taken medicine in the middle of the night. I didn’t remember taking it, but I did have a dream about Carter, the wolf.

He’d been at the door, and I was scared. He stayed with me and put me in bed. Then he snuggled with me like Wolfie normally did. It was nice and peaceful. Even if it was just a dream, I wanted to tell him.

To thank him.

I bet he’d think I was being silly, but having him in my dream took away the pain and fever. That was the reason why I was able to come to the appointment and have a family again.

My nervousness stemmed from our previous appointment being delayed. Sam tried to explain it to me, but basically, Mom and Dad had been chased by very bad people. They wanted something from them but no one knew what, and it was the reason why they killed them and my brother.

I wasn’t sure if my necklace and dagger had anything to do with it, but they were safely tucked away in Dolly’s safe. She wanted to keep them secure for when I was older. I didn’t want to lose the necklace, and she said I’d have to be trained if I wanted to use the dagger.

In a few years, she’d get me trained for it, but for now, it was safe and no one else knew where it was - it was our little secret.

When we reached the truck, I noticed the familiar car with the blue and red siren light on the top, but it was the big pink and blue unicorn that took my attention as I gasped and used my free hand to point to it.

“UNICORN!” I didn’t even think as I let go of Ian’s hand and ran straight for it. I tackled it, igniting a low chuckle before I pulled back to see Officer O’Neil lean to the side so he wasn’t completely blocked by the huge unicorn.

“O’Neil!” I cheered and put my hands up.

“Hey, Officer Blake,” he teased with a wink before lifting the unicorn to rest on top of his car before he knelt down and opened his arms up for my hug. “I should have realized you’d be more interested in the unicorn than me.”

“That’s because the unicorn is a MEGA unicorn!” I emphasized. “And I’m not on duty, O’Neil,” I had to remind him since today was my adoption day so I couldn’t do my officer duties.

“Right. You booked it off,” O’Neil played along before he lifted me up. “A little birdy told me that someone got officially adopted today!”

“ME!” I squealed and put my hands up in the air as he rose up to his full length.

“So I figured you deserved another partner in crime,” he encouraged with a smirk.

I giggled and leaned in to whisper, “I like unicorns, but it’s a secret. Shhhhh.”

“Oh really?” O’Neil quietly whispered.

“Ya, but let’s pretend today that everyone knows!”

He laughed as I tried to reach for the big doll. He couldn’t help but maneuver me over to the fluffy doll as I struggled to get my arms around its large frame.

“It’s so FLUFFY!”

“Have you been watching Despicable Me?” O’Neil inquired.

“We watched it four times,” Ian stressed. “We were going to watch it again, but I can’t find my favorite pajamas!”

“Oh really?” O’Neil pondered. “We should conduct a search of the laundry room.”

“We should!” I cheered and looked down at Ian. “Though, I like your green pajamas. The dark ones with the batman drawing on them.”

“But the black and yellow ones are my favorite,” Ian suggested.

“Ya, and they’re okay. I like the other ones you wore this morning when I woke up. They make your hair look all nice,” I casually suggested.

He stared at me for five seconds.

“I don’t need to look for my favorite pajamas anymore. They’re not my favorite!”

“Which ones are your favorite then?” O’Neil asked, and I noticed his wide smile.

Ian’s face grew red as he muttered, “The green ones.”

“Ah,” O’Neil replied. “Well, that’s good. Now you can watch Despicable Me again.”

“YEAH!” we cheered as Sam and Dolly arrived at where we stood.

“Afternoon, O’Neil. Guess you heard?” Sam greeted.

“Sure did. Figured Harper deserved a gift. Plus, we need to talk about last night.” The way they looked at one another left me curious, but Dolly looked over at me and Ian.

“You two head to the truck. Doors are unlocked. We won’t be long.”

“Okay!” we replied as O’Neil lowered me and I took Ian’s hand to move to the doors of the truck. “Protect my unicorn!”

“We will,” Sam replied.

Ian opened the door for me, letting me get in the back seat first before he got in. Once inside, we relaxed and looked out the window to watch Dolly, Sam, and O’Neil begin to talk to one another. Whatever they were talking about had to be serious from their expressions, but neither of us could hear what they were talking about.

“Ian?” I began as a question popped into my head.

“Yes, Harper?”

“Now that I’m Dolly and Sam’s daughter, doesn’t that mean we’re brother and sister?”

“No,” Ian replied with a smile as he shook his head for added emphasis.

“Huh. Why?” I didn’t understand.

“Dolly and Sam take care of me, but I’m not adopted.”

“Why not?”

“Hmmm. It’s complicated. I have relatives, but they’re far away. I have an uncle, but if I stay with him, I’d be really far away from here and my friends, so Dolly got permission to raise me with Sam. He’s busy anyway. He’s raising another kid or something.”

“Raising another kid…but you’re important, too,” I pointed out.

Ian shrugged. “He doesn’t think that way, I guess. I don’t care.”

Even though he said that he looked really sad.

“When he said that, does it make you sad or mad?” I asked.

“I’m not sure,” he admitted. “Maybe both. It’s not like I wanted to be here in the beginning. My family was really nice. My mom and dad loved me. I was going to be a big brother…but…I don’t know.”

He glanced away from me as he shrugged again. “Living with Dolly and Sam is cool. My friends are nice. We don’t get along all the time, but they’re better and nicer than all those kids from school. The wolves are nice to me, and well…I’m not treated like a burden or anything. This is my home, and it feels that way now. I sometimes wish I were super strong, so I could have beat up the hunters and save my family.”

“Me too,” I admitted as I lowered my head to look at the palms of my hands in my lap. “I wish I could have fought back. If I had…they would still be here. I didn’t know how…and it was scary. I did what Mommy told me…but I wish I did better.”

We were silent as our confessions lingered in the tense air. It was nice to have some similarities to Ian, even if it was sad to acknowledge. We both wished to be stronger so we could protect those we loved, even though we were just kids.

“I have an idea!” Ian suddenly cheered. “Let’s work really hard to learn more about wolves and protecting ourselves! Like we can learn about the types of wolves and about magic! Maybe O’Neil can train us to fight like how police officers do training so they’re tough and can fight the bad guys!”

“That sounds cool!” I gasped in shock.

“Ya,” Ian replied and leaned in closer. “We can keep it a secret until you get permission from Dolly and Sam to read more about them. We can gather books in the treehouse and read! For now, let’s train and read lots! Then those hunters can’t hurt us ever again!”

“Yes! We’ll be strong and fight back, and they’ll never hunt us again,” I declared. “When we get back, we’ll put my unicorn in my room and then we’ll head to the treehouse!”

“Don’t forget we’ll check on the other wolves,” Ian reminded.

“Of course!” I exclaimed. “But if Carter stains my outfit with mud again, I’m gonna be mad!”

Ian laughed. “Carter’s mean to everyone. It’s his way of showing he cares.”

“I haven’t gotten to see the human Carter,” I pointed out. “Do your friends not come visit the wolves? It makes no sense when they all named them.”

“Uh,” Ian began but paused to think.

“You don’t have to tell me if it’s a secret,” I whispered.

“It’s not that…” Ian admitted but trailed off for a few more seconds. “Let’s say they live far away.”

“Far away?” I asked.

“Mhmm.” Ian bobbed his head. “See…they’re not allowed to visit as often as they used to,” he reasoned. “Carter is like wolf Carter. He’s the leader, so he’s allowed to come sometimes to talk to O’Neil and Sam. Human Carter owns a lot of stuff around town.”

“Huh? He does?” I leaned in closer as if I’d see for myself what he meant. “What do you mean own?”

Ian gave me an odd look but continued, “Human Carter’s family is…very rich. Ya. Rich. So they help the town run and the city far away from town as well, but that means Carter has to do a lot of stuff so he can’t be around. My other friends help him because it’s really hard.”

“But that’s so cool.” I was impressed. “Probably hard work.”

Ian puffed his cheeks. “It’s alright,” he huffed. “He’s not special or anything.”

“Carter helped me in my dream last night,” I revealed, which caught Ian’s attention.

“He did?”

“Mhmm! I was scared…hunters were chasing me, but he came and stayed with me,” I explained as I lifted my hand to lightly press on my lips. “And something nice and soft pressed right here and it felt like I was drinking water, but I wasn’t. Hmm. It’s hard to explain. It was a weird dream, but when I woke up, I was better!”

“If I didn’t fall asleep at Sam’s place, I would have protected you!” Ian pointed out as he put his hands into fists. “I won’t fall asleep again! That way, I’ll protect you, even in your dreams!”

“You’ll be my hero!” I exclaimed and reached out to hug him. “Thank you, Ian.”

I watched as his face grew red and he stuttered, “Y-You’re welcome.”

My giggle was interrupted by a yawn. “I’m tired.”

“Well, since you didn’t have me to protect you, you’re extra tired,” Ian considered. “Though you’ve been sleeping weird.”

“I don’t sleep weird,” I countered.

“You do. You’re always waking up. And remember three days ago, when Sam caught you walking around?”

“That wasn’t me,” I concluded. “It was my twin!”

“You don’t have a twin, silly.” Ian laughed and ruffled my hair. “Dolly said you just walk around.”

“Isn’t that what O’Neil said was sleepwalking?” I asked.

“Hmm…I don’t know.” Ian shrugged. “We should find it in the dictionary.”

“We need a dictionary for our wolf reading,” I reminded him.

“Good idea.”

“Wolfie thinks maybe Reika’s trying to come out to play,” Ian suggested.

“Oh. Maybe? Hey, Reika. Are you coming out to play?” I couldn’t help but ask out loud.

“Don’t remember.”

“She doesn’t remember,” I replied as Ian gave me his full attention. I bet Wolfie was listening in as well.

“It’s okay. We’ll figure it out.”

“Am I broken?” I quietly asked with a bit of worry.

Ian’s eyes widened, and he shook his head quickly before reaching out to press his hands against my cheeks. “Nope! You’re perfect, Harper.”

“Really?” I felt shy from his words as my face felt hot.

“Ya,” he said with a big smile. “Perfect for me!”

“Good!” I replied and yawned again. “I’m sleepy.”

“You can take a nap on my lap!”

“That’s nice,” I replied, my eyes already feeling heavy as Ian put his seatbelt on. He helped me put mine on and then I found a way to lay my head onto his lap.

“Do you think they’re going to take long?” I pondered, though I was struggling to stay awake. I didn’t know why I felt tired all of sudden, but I couldn’t fight the need to sleep.

“Who knows, but it’s okay if they’re still talking. It means you get to sleep longer,” he whispered and began to stroke my head. “I’ll wake you up when we get home.”

“Home,” I replied and couldn’t fight the smile from my lips. “Nap…then check wolves…unicorn…Muffin…tree…” My words faded away as I attempted to recite everything we were going to do when we got back.

“We have to celebrate too,” Ian whispered.

“Ya…cele…” I trailed off as I further relaxed.

“Harper?” Ian whispered. When I didn’t reply, I felt his hand stroke my cheek a few times, and something soft pressed against my right cheek that faced upward.

The touch felt like the one from my dream, only on my cheek instead of my lips.

“I’m happy I met you, Harper,” Ian stated as quietly as he could.

I wanted to respond, but I was far away, running through a field of pink flowers as wolves ran along each side. It was warm, beautiful, and I laughed happily.

It felt good to be happy, free, and safe in this field surrounded by pink flowers and six wolves. With a big grin, I spun around and enjoyed the sunlight that blinded my vision.

Everyone was wonderful, and it was thanks to Ian for helping me - for saving me.

Thank you…for everything.

“YOU SAID we were going to the treehouse,” I voiced as I swung my hand with Ian’s.

“We are, but Dolly called us to the house real quick. Maybe she made us cookies.”

“Cookies, yum,” I replied, feeling a little hungry.

We’d spent a good chunk of the afternoon with the wolves. Carter had only come near the end, which was better than him always trying to hide or growl from afar when I was around.

Dolly said he was still mad at me for putting him in his place, but Sam said Carter liked to intimidate new people to see if they were loyal.

He wanted to make sure I’d be good to his pack.

All the other wolves were really getting used to me. It wasn’t hard to learn the differences between each of them. They had their own traits that I liked and being around them really made me and Reika feel at home.

It felt good to feel whole, even though adapting to change was hard at times. Compared to those past families, everyone here was trying to help me get used to things.

Except for Rogan. He’s just a pain in the butt, but it was easier to ignore someone who wasn’t around much.

Reaching the house, we noticed how quiet it was as we entered.

“Hmm. Maybe they’re at the back?” Ian suggested, his voice a little louder than usual.

“O’Neil’s here!” I beamed and pointed to his white shoes.

“Meow.”

We turned out attention to our feet to see Muffin as she sat there with a weird thing on her head.

“Huh. Muffin, what’s that thing on your head?” I asked with a smirk. I didn’t know what it was, but the small triangle hat with a gold ball at the tip was cute on Muffin.

“Meow!” Muffin ran away before I could reach out to her.

“She ran away,” I whined, and Ian laughed.

“She probably wants to play in the box of toys,” Ian reasoned. “Let’s go tell Dolly we’re here so we can go get her.”

“Okay!” I replied and reached for his hand once more. Going through the house, we reached the back door and went down the patio stairs, but still, no one was in sight.

“No one is here,” I said with a hint of disappointment.

“Hmm,” Ian began as he squeezed my hand. “Maybe they’re on the side of the house?”

He tugged me forward as we began to make our way. “Maybe they’re somewhere her-”

“SURPRISE!”

I flinched at the loud cheers as my mouth fell open in surprise. My eyes took in the various balloons, streamers, and glittering ribbons that hung all around while tables filled with various sized boxes were piled up behind the row of smiling individuals.

I couldn’t take it all in at once as Ian moved to face me. He giggled and put his arms in the air. “HAPPY BIRTHDAY AND ADOPTION, HARPER!”

I didn’t know what to say as I took in everything; Dolly, Sam, and wolf Carter standing in the middle while all five wolves stood in front of them wearing similar hats to Muffin’s.

The very kitten in question was sitting on Carter’s head, and though he looked unimpressed, he tolerated it for this special moment. Damien was yawning while Levi was trying to get his hat off. Hayden and Heston had their eyes on me, panting happily while trying to remain still.

I struggled with figuring out what to say, but I fought for some type of words to come out as I met Ian’s glimmering eyes with my shocked ones.

“This…is for me?” I really couldn’t believe it. When was the last time I’d enjoyed a party? With my previous family, we never really got to celebrate. Mom and Dad never wanted too much attention our way, which made sense. To think this was my first time getting an actual celebration for something that was already in the past…was shocking to me.

“My birthday was long ago…”

“Yes, but I promised you that we’d celebrate, didn’t I?” Ian offered. “Dolly was going to make you a cake, but I asked her if we could throw a big party with us and the pack and just have fun!”

“You…did this all for me?”

Tears pooled behind my eyelids as Ian grinned and hugged me.

“Yes, because we love you,” Ian emphasized.

Dolly approached us and Ian moved so she could give me a tight hug to comfort me.

“Yes, Harper. This is all for you. I’ve always wanted a daughter, and you’ve been such a good girl this whole time. I know you miss your family, and we’ll never replace them, but we want to help fill that space with the love we have for you. Will you let us do that?”

“Yes,” I replied, but had a lingering question. “But does that mean I have to be called Harper Anderson? I want to keep my last name so I don’t forget my family when I’m older.”

“I knew you wouldn’t want to dismiss your family and their sacrifices, so we didn’t change your last name, Harper. You’re still Harper Blake, so you can always remember your roots.”

It felt like a dream come true as I took in her words. Whenever I worried about something, they always had a solution to it, and they never had to use mean words to hurt me. Dolly, Sam, O’Neil, Ian, and the wolves were becoming everything I’d wished for in a family and more.

I hugged Dolly as tightly as I could, unable to stop myself from shedding tears as I cried into her shoulder.

“Don’t cry, Harper,” Ian comforted, and I felt his hand patting my back. “You’re supposed to be happy.”

“I am happy. Very happy,” I replied. “Thank you, everyone.”

The wolves howled in response as Dolly let go of me so the five of them could crowd around me. I hugged each of them, before reaching Carter with Muffin still on his head.

“Are you and Muffin friends now?”

“Woof,” he huffed but leaned over to rub my cheek with his head. I think he was trying to comfort me, which left me smiling as I wrapped my arms around his head. “Thank you for last night, Carter.”

He rubbed his head against the side of my head, and I felt that he understood.

I hugged everyone else before I smiled and thanked them once more.

“Thank you, everyone.”

“We need the cake!” Ian stressed.

O’Neil’s chuckle came from behind the tower of presents, and he revealed a large cake with six candles. My eyes grew massive as I took in the sight of it.

“UNICORN CAKE!” I cheered.

“Unicorn cake coming right up,” O’Neil announced as he approached.

We laughed and they all began to sing to me as I waited excitedly to blow out the candles.

“Happy birthday, dear Harper! Happy birthday to you!”

With tears running down my cheeks, I took a deep inhale and blew out a stream of air.

Today was a very special day.

7

TRUE FORMS AND OUR LITTLE SECRET

“I wish I could meet your friends, Ian.”

My voice was but a whisper as I finished putting on the pretty princess dress O’Neil got me. It was pink, fluffy, and had purple and gold unicorns all over it. My hair was down, but I still wore the special ‘BIRTHDAY GIRL’ party hat on my head. With my new unicorn slippers, I felt extra pretty and ready to go to the treehouse - though Dolly said I had to take the unicorn slippers off outside the house.

Ian turned around, after giving me privacy to change, to look at me. He wore black pants and a green shirt that reminded me of his new favorite pajamas. The combination was nice and made me extra happy.

“You mean my human friends?” Ian clarified.

I felt nervous asking him, but I slowly nodded as I walked over to the bed and climbed onto it. Hopping on it slightly helped me feel less nervous as I thought about it.

“Ya. The ones who named the wolves,” I whispered, though deep within, I knew better - or maybe I wanted to believe they were like us.

This whole month, I’d noticed how smart the pack was, especially Carter. There was something about him specifically that pulled at my chest. It was a weird feeling, and I didn’t understand it, but I wished I did.

He’s extra special…but is it because he’s a leader?

Ian stared at me for a long moment, but I kept on jumping up and down, looking anywhere but at him. “You don’t have to…it’s just…it would be nice, that’s all.”

With a shrug, I stopped jumping. “I should pee before we go to the treehouse. Oh. I should get Muffin, too. I’ll be back, Ian.”

Hopping off the bed, I hummed the birthday song as I skipped to the door and headed to the bathroom up the hall. The treehouse didn’t have a washroom, and it took forever to come down the ladder and to the house and back.

Washing my hands, I shook them a few times to dry them before entering the hall to look for Muffin.

“Muffin?”

“Meow.” Turning my head to the stairs, I noticed Muffin and the familiar boy with blond hair sitting on the top shelf.

“Huh?” I rubbed my eyes on purpose, thinking it was an illusion, but even as I rubbed them again and again, the boy still remained with Muffin sitting on his head.

“Carter?” My voice was but a whisper as I slowly approached the boy. I was two steps away before he turned around, and I recognized those mismatched eyes from that stormy night.

The same eyes that matched Carter, the wolf.

He lifted his finger to his lips, signalling me to be quiet. I slowly nodded and caught onto the conversation happening downstairs.

“Can’t we just tell her?” Ian whispered. I wondered who he was talking to, but he continued. “Please, O’Neil?”

“It may upset Dolly, Sam, and especially Rogan, Ian.”

“Who cares about Rogan?” Ian huffed. “He’s an asshole!”

O’Neil chuckled, before Ian continued, “Please, O’Neil? Harper is stronger than they think.”

O’Neil was quiet for a moment before he sighed.

“I understand, Ian, but it’s dangerous. Harper may be strong, yes, but she went through a lot,” he reasoned. “We don’t know why they were after Harper, Ian, and they’re not stopping until they can find her.”

“Ya…but they haven’t tried,” Ian tried to reason.

“They have,” O’Neil quietly muttered as if confessing that was forbidden. “A hunter was close to the lands. Carter took him out.”

Ian was silent while my eyes slowly looked over to Carter. His gaze remained forward, even though I was sure he knew I was staring at him.

Carter…protected us from the hunter.

“I…I wasn’t here,” Ian reasoned. “Or I would have protected the property!”

“Ian.” O’Neil really sounded as if he didn’t know what to do. “My concern isn’t about the idea of who protects Harper. My worry is that Harper entering our world so quickly could put her in more danger. You may be right about her being a wolf shifter like us, but if Reika is truly dormant, we’re not sure when she’ll be able to come out, which makes Harper a human like anyone else.”

“But you and I know she’s more than just a wolf,” Ian huffed.

I wanted to know more, and maybe it was why I tried to take a step down the steps, but a hand stopped me - Carter’s hand holding mine.

The moment our eyes locked, it felt like I knew him from long ago, but again, I couldn’t figure it out - almost as if there were some sort of block in my mind.

He lightly tugged at my hand, and slowly, I sat down next to him on the step.

His hand still wrapped around mine.

“I’m not sure what you mean, Ian.”

“She has energy like mine, O’Neil,” Ian whispered, and it was hard to grasp if Reika wasn’t helping me. “Don’t you see it? The pretty light around her all the time?”

O’Neil was quiet as Ian continued, “It’s strong, O’Neil. Stronger than mine. It reminds me of Carter’s. She has magic, O’Neil.”

“Even if she does, Ian, we can’t openly train her.”

“What about if we learn about it first?” Ian offered. “Harper and I are going to study all about wolves. We’ll do it at the treehouse, so Dolly and Sam and even asshole Rogan can’t see. We’ll work hard, and then maybe we can go to your place and train? I don’t know…” Ian trailed off and huffed. “O’Neil.”

“What is it, kiddo?”

“I don’t want to lie to Harper,” he confessed, and it felt like my heart was sinking because his voice was so sad. “I like her a lot, O’Neil…and…well…I think I owe it to Carter, too.”

“Why do you say that, Ian?”

“Well, he was on duty the night I found Harper. He was supposed to find her…and well, I took it from him. I think he’s mad.”

“You think so?” O’Neil offered, and I could only imagine Ian bobbing his head.

“It’s my fault he has to hide. I don’t really know why…but there’s something about Carter that I can’t remember. Like…we should know each other, but whenever I think about it, my head hurts. Carter’s kinda hard to talk to as well. He’s always angry…but I guess it makes sense. All the adults always make him do all the scary stuff and well, he doesn’t even get to see Harper. I think…well, Wolfie thinks Carter really likes Harper but doesn’t want to be nice to her so she doesn’t get close to him.”

“Hmm,” O’Neil hummed. “You may be right there.”

I was following along, while my eyes lowered to our joined hands. I wondered if that was true, and Reika was just as curious as I.

“Protect us?”

Could be. He doesn’t want us to get hurt.

“I don’t want Carter to hate me, O’Neil.” Ian sounded like he was gonna cry. “He’s like a big brother to all of us. I didn’t mean to be there, but I also really like Harper. I don’t want to keep lying to her. She wants to meet my friends, and they want to meet her in human form too. Can’t we do something? Pretty please?”

The room was silent before O’Neil let out a long sigh.

“This is going to be a big secret to keep, Ian,” O’Neil emphasized. “I do understand where you’re coming from. Personally, if I were raising Harper, I would be honest with her. Sadly, Sam and Dolly don’t agree with my mundane way of thinking. They wish to shelter Harper for her own sake, but I’d personally want her to be able to protect herself.”

There was another long silence before he continued.

“Harper has gone through a lot of trauma. She’s young now, like you, but as you grow older, that trauma can come back and haunt you. More importantly, if I’m going to allow Harper to know the truth of the sacred pack, it’s a secret that has to be maintained until she reaches eighteen. Sam and Dolly won’t be able to stop any of you from approaching Harper in human form once you’ve reached eighteen, but even then, she’ll have to pretend she doesn’t know the association.”

“So if we go with the idea that my friends named the wolves, would that work?”

“If we’re consistent with it, yes,” he replied. “It’s been done before, and we could make things work in our favor,” he reasoned. “But if we do this, there’s no turning back, Ian. Do you think Harper will be up for it?”

“Yes!” Ian cheered. “We can do it, O’Neil. I know we can.”

“And you promise Sam and Dolly won’t know.”

“Promise.”

“Even when you get older?” O’Neil stressed. “You’re going to have to follow what Sam and Dolly tell you to do, even if it means sometimes you have to be away from Harper to help them with errands or trips outside the Sacred Moon property.”

“I’ll do anything I need to, O’Neil!” Ian promised.

“Then, go let Carter know and you can introduce Harper to the gang tonight. Since it’s her birthday/adoption celebration, it would be nice for her to mingle with them. Sam and Dolly are out for a few hours, so I’m babysitting.”

“We’re not babies,” Ian grumbled.

“Sure, sure, kiddo,” O’Neil brushed off. “You’re spending too much time here when you should be heading to the treehouse. I’m sure Harper’s there already.”

“Oh! Right. But maybe she’s in the bathroom. Hmm. I need to pee too. O’Neil, I’m gonna use the bottom bathroom.”

“Alright,” O’Neil replied. “Make sure you aim properly. I’m not cleaning up your mess.”

“Aim, aim, fire!” Ian cheered.

“Fire in the toilet!” he called out.

Carter squeezed my hand and rose up, prompting me to follow his lead. We were going to move, but the sound of footsteps left us frozen in place before O’Neil was at the bottom of the steps with a sly grin on his face.

I didn’t know what to do, so I very slowly moved until I was hiding behind Carter.

“Um…I’m not here,” I whispered.

O’Neil chuckled and quietly walked up the stairs until he was two steps from where we stood. “Does that mean I can introduce her to the others?” Carter was asking for confirmation.

I peeked out to the side as O’Neil crossed his arms over his large chest.

“Yes, but like I said downstairs, no one can know that Harper knows. Not Dolly, Sam, Rogan, or any of the Elders. When you’re all older, it’ll get easier, but for now, if you want to be able to stay around Harper, you have to keep this a secret, understand?”

“I understand,” Carter boldly declared. “I’ll make sure no one else knows.”

O’Neil stared at him for a long minute, the tension growing higher with every passing second. I didn’t interrupt because Reika urged me to keep quiet. It felt like O’Neil was challenging Carter in some way, and deep down I think Carter was winning.

“You’re sure?” O’Neil spoke out loud, and Carter nodded slightly.

“I can do it, O’Neil,” he vowed.

There was no way of figuring out what conversation they were having, and I wondered if it was happening in their heads or something.

“Then you’d better hurry up to the treehouse before Ian’s there by himself.”

Carter nodded and O’Neil looked at me with a genuine smile. “I know you’ll keep things hush-hush, Harper, right?”

“Yes, O’Neil,” I whispered lowly while trying not to show just how happy I was at the idea that I’d get to meet the others.

Not in wolf form, but in their true forms.

“Then get going,” he encouraged with a wink.

I tried not to squeal as we quickly moved down the stairs and headed to the back. Carter led the way until we were on the back porch. He tugged me to stop when I tried to move forward, and I turned my attention to him.

“Har-”

I hugged him before he could finish saying my name, jumping up and down until he stopped me by hugging me back.

“Carter! I get to meet the others!” I squealed as quietly as I could before pulling back to look into his eyes, as shocked as they were wide.

“They’re…” He trailed off as I gave him a wide grin and then he sighed.

“I knew you were smarter than Ian let on,” he muttered like he was disappointed. I just giggled but hugged him again.

“Why are you hugging me now? I don’t like hugs.”

“Lie.”

“Reika says you’re lying,” I pointed out first. “I want to hug you for protecting me.”

Moving back once more, I gave him my best smile before I leaned in close enough that Carter’s face began to turn red.

“Don’t be mad at Wolfie and Ian, okay?”

He blinked a few times and looked away as he answered, “Hmph. I’ll think about it.”

“Okay,” I replied with a bigger smile, knowing he’d totally forgive Ian for finding me first. I hoped it meant we’d all be good friends. “Let’s go!”

I turned around and took a few steps, but Carter hugged me from behind.

“Huh?”

“Harper.” Carter’s voice tickled my ear. “You promise you can keep this a secret?”

I smiled and turned in his hold, which made our noses press together. Now his face was as red as ever, but he tried to remain still as I stared into his mismatched eyes.

“Keeping it a secret means I get to protect you all too,” I voiced, which surprised Carter as his mouth opened slightly and his eyes remained wide. “Dolly said she’s gonna teach me how to protect you all. I’m gonna be the Wolf Tamer of the pack! So keeping the secret that I know who you all are means you’ll be safe, right?”

He slowly nodded, and I copied his nod with my own. “Then, your secret is safe with me. Then we can be friends forever!”

“Friends,” he replied and pouted his lips.

“What?” I asked in confusion, but he suddenly smiled and surprisingly pressed his lips to mine. I didn’t know what to say as I stared at him in confusion.

“Friends for now,” he concluded. “But only I get to do that to you, got it?”

“Okay?” I replied. “Hey. You did that in my dream!”

“Uh…” Carter was so red, it was like he was one of my birthday balloons. “You talk too much!” he huffed and pushed me.

“Hey! You can’t push me. I’m the birthday adopted girl!” I huffed and pushed him back. He growled like he was scary, but I growled back and tackled him.

“Oomph!” We fell to the wood and giggled.

“I told you, Carter said we can be here.”

I lifted my head up and turned in the direction of the sound. Four boys similar to Carter’s height stood in a line at the top steps.

Right away, I knew who each of them was, and I was up and pointing at them.

“Damien!” I began at the boy at the far right with sapphire eyes and short black hair. My finger moved down to the second boy, who surprisingly had striking green hair. It was a unique shade of green, which I think was emerald, but I caught onto the gold and orange strands in it that were just like the very bright golden eyes that stared calmly back at me.

“Levi!”

“Wow. She knows who you are, Levi!” My eyes moved right to the duo that had platinum blond hair and blue eyes. It was easy to know they were Hayden and Heston, but I needed an added minute until I realized one of them had eyes with hints of black while the other had hints of white.

“Hayden.” I pointed to the twin on the right that was next to Levi before pointing to the second twin at the end of the line. “Heston!”

“She’s cool!” they said in unison. “She spots the difference!”

I giggled and ran over to them. In seconds, they were giving me a group hug and I heard Ian from behind.

“Hey! How did you guys all get here?”

“Carter told us to come,” Levi replied like it was no big deal. “You’re late.”

“Am not! I got O’Neil’s permission before any of you.”

“Sure,” Hayden and Heston replied. “Can we go to the treehouse? We want food!”

“There’s food?” I gasped. I didn’t know why, but I was hungry again. “I want some!”

“To the fort!” the twins declared and ran ahead.

“They have too much energy,” Damien noted.

“Hmm,” Levi replied, as the two of them headed down the stairs to follow.

I grinned and noticed Carter and Ian were staring at one another. I wasn’t sure if they were glaring or talking in each other’s heads, but I skipped over to them, moved right in between them, spun around, and grabbed their hands.

Holding Carter’s left hand with my right, and Ian’s right hand with my left, I squeezed them and looked between them.

“Fight later! Let’s go celebrate!”

The two of them stared at me for five seconds, and I giggled and tugged them forward to follow me. Ian loosened up, and he began to swing our joined hands. Carter ended up doing the same as the three of us walked quickly to the treehouse.

Holding their hands felt like something I’d experienced before, and I couldn’t help but grin further as I looked up to the sky to see the full moon.

Something felt good about this - felt right - about this secret, even if it may be bad, but if it meant I’d get to learn more about wolves, train, and be friends with my Sacred Moon pack, I’d do it.

It’ll be our little secret.

8

WOLF TAMER AND BOYFRIENDS?

~SIX YEARS LATER~

“I JUST DON’T GET it. We always go on vacations in December, but we never get to go together,” I whined while kicking my legs aimlessly as I continued to lie on my stomach. Turning the pages of the newest book Ian had snuck out of Sam’s wolf library, I quickly scanned the first page, knowing well that the intros to all these books were the same.

Ian chuckled, and I couldn’t help but lift my gaze to meet his amused silver eyes.

“Just admit it. You’ll miss me.”

“Yuck,” I said in disgust. “First of all, I won’t. Second of all, I’ll miss ALL of you. And third of all, you’re the one who called me last Christmas crying your eyes out because you wanted to be on the beach in Bali, but no. You had to be in New York with Sam because of his job.”

“Ugh, don’t remind me,” Ian groaned. I smirked in return as my eyes maneuvered back to the thick bound book resting against the wooden surface of the treehouse.

Today was November 10th, and Christmas was approaching. Since I’d gotten adopted into the Anderson household, we’d always gone on “family” vacation for the entire month of December.

As nice as it should have been, there was clearly a catch: I always had to go with Dolly and Ian went with Sam. It didn’t matter what we said about the matter. It was a tradition we never really asked for, and I was hoping to figure out why.

There wasn’t anything in the books that marked December as special, but I guess it meant we didn’t need to deal with school for a month.

Right, school…

We’d been homeschooled up until this year, but with Dolly and Sam having to split themselves between work and the sudden rise of attacks against sanctuaries and endangered animals in general, it was getting harder for Dolly and Sam to teach us.

At first, neither of us minded, especially with the notion that we got to stay home and chill with the others, but with the pack getting older, I was beginning to see that we were all going to have to go to school to gain more knowledge.

Myself included.

Unlike before, I could handle whatever bullying headed my way.

Since our silent agreement with O’Neil, I’d vowed within myself to protect those I cared about. I didn’t start self-defense training until I was ten, and that was after O’Neil insisted that I should learn some type of training to ensure I could protect myself from mean boys.

I never really understood what he meant by “mean boys,” but whenever he brought up that term with the saying of “cornered tactics” it always hushed Dolly up and gave her no choice but to agree to O’Neil’s desire to train me.

I didn’t know what a cornered tactic was and trying to ask someone older like Carter only rewarded me with a huff and “it’ll never happen to you or I’ll sock them” response.

Dummy.

Either way, O’Neil said if we were going back to school and anyone bothered me, I had permission to sock them in the nose and he’d make sure I didn’t have a criminal record. I guess that was the benefit of basically having an “uncle” as one of the current police chiefs of the town.

O’Neil was like family to me, and though we weren’t blood-related in the slightest, I called him my uncle. Sometimes I was rewarded with eye rolls and people saying he’s a “black monkey” but that always got Reika’s infamous glare of death, and whenever they said that, we’d stare until they had no choice but to apologize.

Or I’d just wait to beat them up.

I’d gotten into a few brawls lately, which was why I had two Sailor Moon bandages on my knees and one on my nose - Sailor Moon was the best anime ever - and Rogan was using my “rebellious” attitude against me, but I couldn’t give a hoot about him.

Six years and he’s still an asshole.

Regardless of time, one thing was still solid: our little secret.

During the day, I was the official Wolf Tamer of Sacred Moon of Endangered Wolves. I was the youngest ever appointed, but it was because my six wolves listened to me without much trouble.

Except for Carter. He was still a stubborn, anger management butt.

Regardless of his temper issues, I could handle him in his wolf form, just like I could beat his ass physically if he pissed me off enough.

I thought I’d get to take care of them until they were all eighteen, and eventually when I got to eighteen we’d get to reveal the truth that I knew that all of them were wolf shifters.

However…things are changing.

I didn’t want to admit it, but the new school was going to be a pain. Not because of the educational part, but because of the reality that we were going to different schools - because Ian and I were poor.

It didn’t matter how many meetings Dolly went to or the money she offered to prove that both of us could handle the financial strain the private schools would deliver to us, the school board said no.

Ian could have gotten an exception because of his connection with Carter, but he refused if it meant leaving me behind.

We’re sticking together…even if it means he’s further away from the pack.

The issue with the private school was that their schedule was different, which meant Carter, Damien, Levi, Hayden, and Heston would have to stay there during the weekdays and come back on the weekends.

From how Ian had explained it, they would get their own private dorm at the edge of campus so they would have their space to roam the forests in their wolf forms, but the excuse Dolly was giving was that they were going to be specially trained on the weekdays by an instructor that knew about their different breeds.

It wasn’t completely a lie, from Damien’s words. He said they were going to get a special set of teachers, which may have been super helpful to them in the magic department, but I wouldn’t deny that I was a bit jealous and hurt that I couldn’t go simply because I didn’t have money.

Because my family is dead and so is Ian’s, and neither of us have a big enough “legacy” to be accepted.

Neither of us liked it, and maybe that was why we were spending more time with one another.

We’d have to get used to it, right?

At some point, I was offered a chance to partake, but that meant leaving Ian behind.

No way was that happening.

I didn’t want the others to see how hurt I was about the situation. It wasn’t their fault, and the opportunity was something I wouldn’t want them to ignore. Not all of them could use magic, but from their initial evaluation, it was confirmed that Carter had the strongest potential.

With him being the Alpha of the pack, it only made sense for him to take the chance to strengthen himself so he could protect everyone else. Damien and Levi were pretty close in levels and Hayden and Heston had intriguing potential. Something about their magic being there but that it needed to be unlocked in some way.

I wished we could undergo this so-called evaluation, but again, we weren’t allowed, and at the end of the day, I was pretending to know nothing about the world.

The few things I had on my side were that I was smart, memorized really easily, and I was a fast runner. O’Neil said I had to work a bit more on kicks and punches, but I could at least take down someone double my size.

I could even handle tossing Carter in his wolf form, but I’d only done it once because he stole my limited edition pumpkin spice chocolate and I really didn’t want to wait till next October to beg Dolly to buy a lot more.

I was still working on my magic. I could protect myself by pushing things back with the wind, but that was really it.

The necklace I’d kept in Dolly’s safe for so long had some sort of magic qualities, which was why I’d begged Dolly on my twelfth birthday to be allowed to wear it as long as I kept it safe. The dagger was still in the locked box, and I was fine with that. I wanted to know how to use it first and maybe find out more about what it could do.

Maybe it would lead me to the truth about my parents.

There were so many things I wanted to learn about them - to discover the truth I felt was woven in various pieces of information I had no access to. Ian was helping me research every day, just so that we could get smart enough to figure things out, like police officers and detectives did in movies.

O’Neil was super busy and doing enough for us by keeping our secret. I couldn’t bother him by asking about the past, especially when I knew that it wasn’t his case to deal with.

For now, I just had to try to not get overwhelmed.

Reika normally had to remind me that we were still kids. We wanted to be strong and figure out how to shift so everyone wouldn’t shelter us – or at least all the adults but O’Neil. We wanted to be smarter, tougher, and learn about magic and all the things we lacked. Recently, we also started wanting to be rich so we could go to school with the rest of our pack.

Our pack…

That was probably what we were slowly becoming. Even if it was tricky to see the guys in their human forms, it wasn’t impossible. Each of them would try to visit me once a week, usually on the days I was designated to train them.

Carter was the exception because he did whatever he wanted, but we were all treading carefully.

Reika at least thought of them as a pack, especially now that I was older and could fully envision her wolf body in every detail: those white strands of fur, the extravagant teal eyes. I felt the power growing around her, and it made me feel stronger as the days went by.

I knew we were something special, and as I grew, I understood why those past families were so desperate to bring me down.

To use me for their own games.

“Research is so tiring.” Ian let out a heavy sigh as he closed his book.

“I couldn’t agree more,” I answered and decided to call it a day. As much as I loved to learn, there was a limit before my brain decided to shut off. “Can we increase the heat? I’m cold.”

November wasn’t normally cold, but this year the weather had already dipped to a chilly low. They said winter would be the worst for everyone, so O’Neil had installed a heater in the treehouse so we wouldn’t get too cold.

Apparently, wolf shifters ran on the hotter side, and I normally wasn’t cold, but today was just ridiculously frigid. Normally, Dolly and Sam would migrate the pack to a different location by late November and all of December while we were on vacation, but with the school term coming, I wondered if this year would be the same.

I guess the slight dread of having to move to the other sanctuary and starting school without seeing Ian and I was beginning to stress the others in a negative way.

I wish we could grow faster.

“You are?” Ian inquired as he sat up and patted his lap. “Come here.”

My lips curled upward as I grabbed my book and crawled over to sit on Ian’s lap. He wrapped his arms around me and rested his head on my shoulder as I situated my book in my lap.

“Better?”

“Much better,” I said and giggled.

Even though I tried to make it seem like his gesture wasn’t a big deal to me, my body - particularly my racing heart - reacted in a way I was still trying to figure out.

Or maybe I just knew.

I’d be lying to myself if I denied the fact that I had a bit of a crush on Ian. It wasn’t like I wished to keep it a secret, but maybe I was just a little shy. I’d tried to “research” love and how to tell a guy you liked them, but all the books centered around a guy telling the girl he liked her.

Our responsibility was to send “signals” or something, and I wasn’t sure how to do that. How do you signal someone that you like them? Maybe it was like sign language or something.

The real problem was that I didn’t only have feelings for Ian.

Each of the boys in the pack had different qualities that I liked, and though I didn’t get to spend as much time with each of them, when I did, I really enjoyed their company.

Carter was beginning to spark these odd emotions in me, but it was far different than with Ian. With Carter, just being around him made me feel different - special in my own way - and even if we just argued and bickered, his words always made me happy.

He could try to insult me for all I cared, but I’d insult him back and my heart would race quickly like we were running through the woods. It was too complicated to figure out, and I didn’t want to bother Dolly about it.

O’Neil was a guy, so I wasn’t sure if he’d know what was wrong with me - if there was something wrong with me. Reika kept saying it was normal and I just liked both of them, but I couldn’t date both.

Would they allow me to do that?

With a mental shake of my head, I resorted to returning to my book, hoping my heart would begin to slow down as I thought about anything other than my odd predicament.

“Ian? I have a question,” I began. “Does everyone have a mate? Like…wolf shifters, I mean.”

“It’s complicated,” Ian admitted. “There are different ways of having a mate.”

“Wait, really? I thought they were chosen by the Moon and you guys do those big celebrations. Or you all gather around at a certain time in the year and boom, you find your mate.”

“That’s the really old way of doing things,” Ian confessed. “That’s what all the books say, but there are other ways. Like sure, everyone is destined to be with someone, but it’s up to the Moon to change it depending on a shifter’s situation.”

I leaned further against him as I took an inhale of his cinnamon aroma. He always smelled like the scent, just like Carter always carried a pumpkin scent to him.

I wonder why I always pick those two scents up?

“I don’t get it.” I wasn’t embarrassed to admit I really wasn’t following. My brain liked it when there was a direct answer to a question. When there were multiple answers, it got confusing.

“Some wolf shifters can meet a human for example, like in the movies, and suddenly the human gets in a very bad situation where if the wolf doesn’t save them, they’ll die. There’s a specific window that will allow the wolf to change the human into one of them. The wolf could have had a wolf mate, but the Moon shifted his path to meet this human who then changed to be a wolf. They can be mates, but they also may not be. It’s complicated and all over the place, but people love that.”

“I love them, too,” I said with a smirk. “Those movies are romantic.”

Ian groaned as he shook his head. “This is why those dumb Twilight movies made money.”

“Hey, they were cool! The books were good.”

“Don’t tell me you spent money to read that horrible series.”

“First, I borrowed them from the library, and second, they were good! They even released a new book from the dude’s point of view!”

“You don’t even remember the dude’s name!”

“He sparkles in the sunlight,” I hummed in delight.

“Oh Mother Moon, help us all,” Ian huffed in dismay, causing me to laugh. I snuggled against him further, and his arm that was wrapped around my waist tightened a little more as the two of us sat in comfortable silence.

It felt like one of those cherished moments in time where everything felt like it was in a tranquil standstill. The quietness lulled in the soothing warm atmosphere, and I was left thinking about how grateful I was to be taken in years ago.

I wouldn’t get to experience this if I’d kept hopping through foster homes. I wonder if the Moon decided this was the right place for me to belong?

“Can someone have more than one mate?” I inquired.

“Yes,” Ian casually replied. His voice was softer than before, leaving me to wonder if he was about to fall asleep.

“What if a girl meets Guy A and likes him very much, but meets Guy B later on and also has feelings for him?”

“She can go with Guy A or B, but if she really wanted, she can go with both if that’s what makes her happy.”

“Huh?” My brain felt like it tripped over the equation. “That’s not allowed.”

“Why not?”

“She can’t be with both of them. She has to choose.”

“Says who?”

“Um…everyone? Books? Television shows? The Bible?” I shrugged slightly. “Whenever you read or watch all those shows, the main character always loves two people but at the end has to pick one. It’s no different as a shifter, right?”

“Shifters don’t follow that entirely,” Ian admitted. “It’s hard, I think. O’Neil told me there’s nothing wrong with a girl having more than one mate. I mean…right now, there are a lot more boys in the wolf shifter packs than girls. Like, you’re the only girl here aside from Dolly. O’Neil said if the girl population goes lower than it is now, a lot of packs will have no choice but to share.”

“It’s that bad?” Now I was curious. When I’d arrived, Dolly emphasized the lack of female wolves. I think she was trying to bring more to the sanctuary, but it was basically impossible. All the female wolves were at really fancy sanctuaries that were closer to the city or in completely different provinces.

It felt like females had to have a certain status and because they were so rare, they all wanted to go to “elite sanctuaries” as Dolly would call them during her phone calls with other organizers.

I really disliked that way of thinking. A sanctuary was supposed to be a place you could call home, like I did. Not a place you went to because you wanted to feel extra special and be “popular”.

“Think about it this way. With every ten male wolves, we’d be lucky to get one female wolf. It’s even harder if the female is destined to be an Alpha. Finding an Alpha female wolf is almost impossible.”

“Why?”

“Wolf shifters like to make women look weak,” Ian bitterly complained. “Most females aren’t tough and cool like you and Reika. They call them submissive because when the males speak and tell them to do stuff, they have to listen. It’s like they don’t have a choice because it’s in their nature to submit.”

“Eww.” I cringed at the idea. “Nope. Not for me. What do you think?”

“It’s disappointing,” Ian admitted.

“Huh? Why?”

I turned my head slightly just so I could see his face. He paused to look at my lips, his face growing red as we continued to stare at one another.

“I don’t want a weak mate. I want someone who will fight back if I say something wrong or stupid. Submissive wolves just say yes to whatever you say. It doesn’t matter how bad or horrible the task is. That’s just dumb, and honestly, boring.”

“But…we don’t fight. Well…sometimes, but far less than, say, Carter and me.”

“We may not fight, but we disagree sometimes. If you were a submissive wolf and I said Sailor Moon suc-”

“I’d fight you!” I didn’t let him finish his sentence, leaving him to chuckle.

“Dummy. I know that. I was using an example, but see? You won’t let me even finish. You’re not a submissive wolf.”

“Then I’m an Alpha?”

“Um…I don’t know. We won’t be able to tell until Reika can come out.”

“Are you an Alpha?”

“Nope. I’m a Beta. It’s basically second in command. If the Alpha is away, the Beta has to lead in their place. So Wolfie is a Beta. Same with Levi, but Levi’s more experienced than me so he’d lead first.”

“So Carter’s the Alpha of the pack. Then Levi and you, and then Damien, Hayden, and Heston.”

“Mhmm,” he replied. “Do…you wish I were an Alpha?”

“I don’t care,” I replied earnestly. “Alpha, Beta. Those don’t matter. You’re not mean and the others aren’t either. Carter gets angry over everything that breathes, but he’s not mean on purpose. If you’re not mean to me, I don’t care what you are.”

With a grin, I turned back and rested against him once more.

“I like Ian for Ian,” I concluded.

“Like…as in…” Ian trailed off as my words registered in my head.

Wait. Did I just say I like-!

“Meow.”

“Huh?” we both gasped as we looked to the door to see Muffin poked her head between the space - her mismatched eyes locking onto our shocked gazes.

“Meow meow.” She ran over to us until she sat right on top of the open book in my lap, just so she could get my full attention.

“Muffin? How did you get all the way up here?” Ian inquired in shock while I reached out to greet her with a rub of my hand against her head.

“That would be my fault.”

We looked over to see O’Neil’s wide smile.

“Hey, O’Neil!” I greeted. “When did you get here?”

“A while ago, kiddo. Dolly and Sam have some things to take care of, so they called me last minute to watch over you two and make sure you ate dinner.”

“Oh, okay!” That was exciting because it meant the whole pack could eat with us in the living room - everyone in their human forms.

“And we’re not kiddos, O’Neil. Harper’s twelve and I’m fourteen now.”

“Sure, mature kiddo,” O’Neil stated with a smirk as he looked between us. “See ya downstairs, and get the others, will you? I doubt Sam and Dolly will be back for the night, so they can all sit in the dining area as long as Carter doesn’t start a food fight.”

“Yes!” we cheered.

“Muffin, make sure they don’t make out,” he added with a wink.

“Meow!” Muffin declared and launched from the book to lightly hop onto my head and crash into Ian.

“AH!” Ian exclaimed and fell to the side while I began to blush. “We’re READING!”

“Sure, sure,” O’Neil brushed off like he couldn’t even care as he closed the door, leaving us in complete silence while Muffin was across the room playing with one of her toys we’d left here last time we’d brought her to the treehouse.

Turning my head over to check on Ian, I noticed his hands covered his face, which was bright red. Even his ears were red, and I couldn’t help but point it out.

“Ian, your ears are red.”

He groaned in agony. “It’s hot from the heater! That’s why.”

“Super hot. Not from the heater.”

Don’t be a promoter.

“I thought wolf shifters are honest in books.”

Hey! I’m honest.

“With me, yes. With your emotions, nope. Not even close. Ian could be your mate already, but you’re playing.”

That’s….not true! Plus, I’m twelve.

“A very smart twelve-year-old who likes Ian Chestwood because he smells like cinnamon, which is why you like to smell his clothes when he isn’t looking. But you also like Carter Moonshine because he argues with you and you think he’s cute when he gets all mad and acts stupid. And I’ve yet to determine which one is next on the list, but Damien and Levi are a tie and the twins are just a bonus.”

W-W-WHAT?!

“The truth and nothing but the truth. You should tell them.”

Enough! We’re not telling anyone!

“Intriguingly enough, I’ve yet to possess the power to shift and tell him, but I’m learning how to talk to Wolfie so if you won’t say anything, I’m telling.”

Snitches get stitches!

“Not when I’m you, idiot.”

You’re so mean! When did my wolf become a bully?

“I like bullying you when you won’t be honest with yourself. I’ll bully everyone else at that dumb school if they try to play around with us. Boom boom.”

We’re going to get suspended.

“Good. School sucks.”

You’re horrible…

“You love me.”

Muffin was back in my lap and reaching out to play with my necklace. She tapped it a few times with her paw, making it dangle onto my chest.

Ian was sitting back up, his presence more obvious as he moved in close to rest his chin on my shoulder. I wondered if he was watching Muffin or taking the moment to inhale a little deeper. He did that sometimes, and he liked to compliment the smell of my shampoo.

Or my smell in general.

Apparently, to him and even Carter, I carried a vanilla scent, which blended well with the cherry blossom shampoo Dolly would buy for me. The others couldn’t smell the vanilla part, but it didn’t seem to be a big deal.

Should it be?

This whole mate discussion made me wonder who was destined for me, but more importantly, I lingered on the idea of being with two people.

Could I be with more than two people?

“So…does that mean you may have a mate somewhere?” My question felt hesitant in a sense, especially when my voice was so low - almost nonexistent in the quiet air.

“Maybe,” Ian calmly replied. “Maybe she’s waiting for me to find her.”

The mere idea made my body warm as I bit my lip. What would happen if Ian did have a mate somewhere? What about the others? Carter, Damien, Levi, Hayden, and Heston. If they all had mates destined for them…where did that leave me?

Would I even be strong enough to let them go? I’d be…alone again.

The way my heart sank at the thought was topped off with prickles of anxiety about the future.

A future without my sacred pack…a future alone…with no mate of my own?

It didn’t just frighten me. It freaked Reika out, too, because this place is what we’d known for the last six years. Half of our life was spent adapting, growing, learning, and coming to love these individuals in our lives.

One day, there’d come a time where I’d have to say goodbye and do adult things like going to college and getting a job, but we would see each other again.

Right?

The thought brewing in my mind was: what if we didn’t? What if one by one, each wolf found their destined person? Would someone like me with a dormant wolf get a chance at being mated with someone – anyone?

“Harper?” I didn’t want to move as I tried to calm down, feeling the slight prickling in my body and the sharp tension in the air. The treehouse felt a lot colder, and a light whiplash of wind began to shake the wooden walls.

I swallowed the lump in my throat, but it was Ian’s arms that brought me back from the piling thoughts of negativity - his hot breath brushing against the side of my neck.

“Are you upset?”

“No.”

“Wolfie says you are…and I think so, too.”

“Wolfie can’t see me,” I muttered. “You can’t either.”

“Harper.”

I couldn’t help but turn my body enough that our faces were so close to one another’s, just an inch forward and my lips would meet his.

The heavy atmosphere felt like breathing was nothing but a sin as my eyes bored into his. I swallowed the lump forming in my throat while trying to ignore the fluttering butterflies in the pit of my stomach.

This could have been the perfect moment to say what needed to be said, but what if he didn’t like me back - what if he says no? I don’t want to be rejected.

The unfolding possibilities made the words get stuck in my throat, and the longer we stared, the harder it was to state the truth.

I have to say something else.

“If…you get a mate…you’ll still be my friend…right?” The way my eyes portrayed the sadness blossoming in my heart made his eyes further widen as he blinked. He bit his lower lip, as if to make sure he didn’t say something that didn’t project his intentions.

I couldn’t take the silence any longer.

“We should head to dinner! Before the food is cold.”

Muffin moved from my lap, and I moved the book. I tried to get up, but Ian’s arm suddenly pulled me right back into his lap.

“Ia-”

“What if I don’t want a mate?”

His words left me frozen in my spot, not like I could move any further due to his hooked arm around me.

“You have to have a mate, Ian,” I whispered. “It’s the Moon’s calling. Everyone has one…or is destined for one.” Any excuse would leave my lips if it meant I could get a second or two to calm my crazy pounding heart.

It was so loud, the thrumming beats ringing in my ears and making it difficult for me to concentrate. I was struggling to remain focused, just so I wouldn’t miss Ian’s next words.

“What if I know exactly who I want?”

His question threw me off as I focused on his cinnamon scent that wrapped around me like a blanket. His closeness was driving me crazy while he rested his chin on my shoulder once more. I had to think fast, or at least keep up with the conversation.

“Whoever it is, they surely don’t know.” That was a fact, even if the idea of him already liking someone else was hurting my pounding heart. “I’m sure she’d want to know that she’s liked by someone like you.”

The silence that followed my words made my nerves go into overdrive. It was like they were fighting to eat me from the inside out, while my mind was spinning in circles at the idea that as much as I wanted to be Ian’s girlfriend, he liked someone else.

I was desperate to hear those words. Wishfully praying that he’d want me to be the one to give him hugs and kisses on the cheek, not because we were friends, but because we were boyfriend and girlfriend.

As much as I wished for this fairy tale to be a reality, I didn’t carry enough confidence to say it to him. I was too frightened, and maybe that was more painful than I wanted to admit.

I want to be his girlfriend. Who took that position when I wasn’t looking?

Maybe it was due to my lack of knowledge in the relationship department. The kids in town who went to school had boyfriends and girlfriends, and they were Ian’s age. Even if he didn’t go to town often with Sam, maybe he had a crush on one of the girls from there.

I had no experience, and I didn’t know what it was like. Was dating a boy like in the shows and movies? Was it something magical like when you took a deep inhale of fresh air or watched the first glimmers of the sunset upon the horizon?

How would kissing Ian Chestwood make me feel?

The music box tune of Sailor Moon’s intro began to sing through the treehouse, and I knew it was my phone ringing.

Ian let me go, knowing well it probably was Dolly calling me, but I was surprised by the caller ID. “Oh.”

Picking it up, I smiled. “Hey, Bobby. What’s up?”

“Hey, Harper. Just wanted to make sure this was your number,” Bobby replied. “How are you?”

“I’m good! Just…about to eat dinner,” I voiced. I didn’t want to tell him I was here with Ian in our treehouse. I’d only given him my number because Dolly said I needed to try to make friends. She’d given me the phone for emergencies but didn’t mind me using it to text my friends.

Even though all my friends were here. I didn’t really need anyone else.

“Oh. You should go eat. I guess I’ll text you.”

“Ya, sure! You can text me.”

“Cool. Talk to you later, Harper.”

“Bye, Bobby.”

“Wait.”

“Hmm?” I paused from hanging up.

“You can just call me Bob, you know?”

“Oh,” I replied. “Okay, Bob. Talk to you later.”

“Awesome! Bye.”

“Bye.”

I was going to turn around but felt the press against my back as hot breath tickled my ear.

“Who’s Bob?”

“Uh…a boy?” My voice was quiet as I took in the odd tone in Ian’s voice as we stayed in place. He reached out and slipped my phone out of my grasp, leaving me gasping when he deleted Bob’s number.

“Y-You deleted it?!” I said in shock. It wasn’t like I really cared much about having his number, but what if he called or texted again? Would he know I deleted his number? I wasn’t good with this whole technology thing.

I tried to turn around to give him a glare because I really didn’t like that, but he pressed me against the bookshelf, causing my whole body to go back to its whirlwind of feelings.

“Who is he?” Ian’s voice was probably the weirdest I’d heard it. The way it was lower and almost held a bit of controlling power got Reika’s attention, while my body was hot.

“He’s a guy from town. He asked for my number when Dolly and I went to the store. He’s just a guy, and Dolly said I should make friends. It’s no big deal. Why does it even matter?”

When he didn’t answer, I sighed and forced my body to move just so I could face him once more. “It’s not a big…deal…”

My words trailed off as my thoughts faded away. His silver orbs were so transfixed on mine that I wouldn’t dare look away - I couldn’t. It was hard to explain the intensity of his stare, but it was the twinkles of gold that flickered in the rims of his irises that left me wondering who was in control.

Ian? Wolfie? Both?

I almost forgot to breathe as the world around us felt like it had stilled.

“He can’t have you,” Ian vowed, his words setting whatever his intentions were in stone. He was leaning in closer, and I wanted to ask him what he even meant by his declaration, but Ian’s voice dipped further as his eyes narrowed and that was when I saw a flash of pure dominance.

“You’re mine.”

With the press of his lips against mine, I experienced my first kiss with Ian Chestwood, my crush who I hoped would be my future boyfriend.

9

PROTECT FROM EVIL AND HE’S MINE

~CARTER~

“YOU’RE MINE.”

I stopped at the top step as my head lifted further to get a glimpse of the inside of the treehouse. My breath hitched as my heart, that was already racing, suddenly stilled along with my entire being.

There was a lot running through my mind at the moment, but nothing that would lead to this solution to an equation I’d certainly predicted at some point. I should have known this was going to happen - no, I expected it - and yet seeing it before my eyes hit me harder than I thought it would.

Seeing one of my packmates kiss the girl I love.

There was so much that she was oblivious to, just like the rest of the pack I’d gathered along the way staying here. They didn’t understand the role I played, why I was specifically here at Sacred Moon for Endangered Wolves or how each of them seemed to fit a puzzle piece in all of this.

They didn’t know who Harper was to me…

My head began to pound instantly, while I had to fight not to react.

My wolf, on the other hand, wasn’t tolerating my still silence as he took in the sight and began howling like a manic wolf, worsening my sudden headache further.

Breathe. I need to breathe.

How do you do that again? Inhale and exhale while you watch the boy that was two years younger and only accepted into your pack with your special permission sweep in and kiss the girl you’d known longer than anyone.

Longer than him, Dolly, Sam, O’Neil…everyone.

I bit my lip to stop myself from screaming, but if I didn’t get out of here, things would get ugly - I’ll lose control…and I can’t afford to do that.

Even as my thoughts begged for me to move, I struggled to do exactly that as my Alpha senses heightened. I could feel the magnitude of Ian’s emotions - enduring the waves of blissful happiness, acceptance, relief, and a hint of prideful success at making the ultimate move.

It felt like rubbing alcohol was being poured upon an open wound along my chest.

The burning sensation spread like wildfire, doing everything it could to try to ruin me at this moment while I watched Ian kiss Harper. It had to be a small moment of time, and yet it felt like it was ongoing.

Was time punishing me? Slowing the universe down just so I could experience this moment when it wasn’t even mine to enjoy?

Moments like these reminded me of why I hated being an Alpha. The circumstances that forced me to tag along on this emotional rollercoaster train and experience all aspects of an event that left me on a dead end.

This was far more torturous to me than physical pain. Anything physical had an end, but emotional torture haunted you until you got what you wanted.

Until you got what you deserved.

The only palpitating question in my mind was when would I get what I deserved?

When will I get my Harper back?

Mismatched eyes came into my view, and I realized Muffin now stood before me, her tail moving from side to side. She was observing me with curiosity flickering in her eyes, but this kitten was far smarter than I gave her credit for.

And if I didn’t get out of here, I’d be caught in this whirlwind of chaos.

I didn’t remember how I got back down the ladder, but before I knew it, I was running into the depths of the forest as the sunset began to trickle through the horizon.

The shadows that grew thanks to the orange and purple hues in the sky only made running away easier, blending my very being within the darkness in hopes that what I’d seen could be nothing but a nightmare.

Mother Moon, wake me up. Please?

I ran as fast as I could, feeling the building sadness and anger begin to trickle upward. My wolf howled again and again, begging for my throat to respond to his cries and for the world to listen to the melody of my sorrow.

This agony was what I’d agreed to endure for the sake of protecting the girl destined for me, but at the peak of the moment like this, I regretted it.

I wished I never promised to go along with this. Wished my memories weren’t scattered and that I could unlock that small folder of the past and retrieve the truth of my connection with everything.

This predicament was my choice, and yet if I’d known for a second that I wouldn’t get to be by Harper’s side as she adapted to this world, I would have rejected it, just like how I prayed to reject all this weight of responsibility on my strained shoulders.

Everyone had all these expectations of me.

I had to be this fierce leader, carrying the struggles of my pack while proving myself to the Alphas in other packs who wished to challenge me. I always had to be on top, could never lack, and what I struggled with the most was expressing my true emotions.

Maybe that was my ultimate downfall. If I had been a little kinder to Harper, maybe she’d have fallen in love with me first? She’d have chosen me over Ian. Chosen my wolf over Wolfie.

It’s not fair. It’s not fair. IT’S NOT FAIR!

Tears of frustration stung my eyes as I ran at my full speed. I was so fucking tired of this world of madness, and even more annoyed that it felt like I was a caged bird with no way out.

No chance of freedom. No possibility of a happy ever after.

Patience is supposed to be worth it, right? Then why did it feel like a constant uphill battle when it came to reaching that rewarding ending?

Where is the break? The moment of hope? When will I get to reveal the truth? How long do I have to continue playing this role that I never asked to have? When will I become the main character I was destined to be instead of a side character whose dreams are running thin and will fade away entirely?

“Carter?”

I wasn’t expecting Damien’s voice to filter through my mind, but I also didn’t expect the sudden crash into my left side that sent me flying through the sky. I didn’t have time to scream as my eyes centered on the wolf that had clearly tackled me and was now charging even faster to get the upper advantage of my current vulnerability.

To sink his teeth into my flesh and rip my fragile body to shreds.

What neither of us had anticipated was the fact that his move simply did a disservice while the chance of me surviving this suddenly plummeted as I took in the fast rows of trees below before watching the wolf that was after me skid to a dramatic stop to save his own life.

I’m falling!

My wolf was charging forward within my mind, ready to trigger our shift in three seconds, but I had to be faster. Magic rushed to my fingertips and spiked so quickly through my body, it felt like I was on fire.

In seconds, a whiplash of wind rushed around me like a cyclone while the calm weather shifted to a gloomy storm at the same time. By the time I was in my wolf form, thunder filled with booming rage pulsed through the sky before lightning bolts crashed all over the place.

I wasn’t sure if this was Mother Moon’s anger against my sudden enemy, but it was the diversion I needed as I made my rough crash landing. My landing was far harsher than I anticipated, and I knew the moment my limbs crashed into the trees and my body fell right to the floor that I’d broken a few things.

Hitting my head on the final crash just made things a whole lot worse, and my whimper hit the air as I fought to even stay conscious. My wolf body was rushing to my aid, attempting to heal the easier parts first so that my limbs could take me away from this danger, but the faster time ticked away, the harder it was for my consciousness to continue fighting the pain and negativity.

The thoughts from before suddenly doubled, and the heaviness of my regret only succeeded in clouding my desire to live. I was tired of being a leader - tired of being everyone’s savior when no one would ever do the same for me.

Why is it okay for me to suffer alone yet everyone else has me to lean on when they’re in pain? Who do I lean on, Mother Moon? I have no shoulder to rest my head on when I’m tired. I want to rest…no one would care.

The adults would only be mad because the only son of Moonshine would be dead. Their legacy, the blood of our ancestors, the one who would carry the name, wealth, and power of our generational struggles couldn’t be wiped out of the world so easily.

They would be mad that I was such a weakling and died. I can’t die…but…I’m so tired.

Even in my wolf form, my tears streamed down my furry cheeks effortlessly. My wolf was whimpering for us, but even the desperate cries of agony and pain began to fade away until there was nothing but silence.

I felt awake, but far away. What frightened me most in my immobile state was the footsteps coming my way. They weren’t ones that would give off a rushing feeling. They were slow and calculating, which told me that my enemy was approaching to claim my body.

Approaching to take me away.

Maybe they would hold me for ransom? Or do anything really since I was an endangered wolf. Getting an Alpha wolf of my caliber at my age was like finding a four-leaf clover in our world. Add my magic capabilities and strong bloodline, and there was your golden ticket to power.

I didn’t know where I’d fallen, and I wasn’t sure if I was out in the open or in a bunch of bushes, but it felt like something was covering me.

Leaves? Dirt? What’s happening? I’m scared. I don’t want to die. I didn’t say bye to Harper. I didn’t tell her she’s my mate…she’s my everything.

There was more regret and internal misery as my consciousness struggled to stay afloat. Someone was calling me. Maybe multiple people were in my head somewhere, but I didn’t have the energy to listen.

I barely had the energy to breathe.

Something kicked my cheek before patting my head, but it was the low sound of voices that caught my fading attention.

“Shit! Did he run away?”

“You’re an idiot. Why did you fucking throw him off a cliff?”

“I didn’t think my hit would throw him so far!”

“Well, he’s fucking gone.”

“No, let’s do a search. He could be in these bushes.”

“HISS!”

“AH!” the two individuals attempting to whisper screamed. “Fuck! Is that a cat or something?”

“Fuck! Maybe it’s one of those rare, endangered cats! You know, the cat that they say is the most dangerous one in the wild or some shit on Discovery Channel?”

“You mean that black-footed cat they always talk about in videos and shit?!”

“Ya! Fuck, look at its eyes. They’re different. Hell nah. I ain’t dying from a damn cat. You know what a disgrace that would be to my fucking pride. My pack would humiliate me by not burying my body.”

“We don’t got time for this!”

“Fuck shit. You smell that?”

There was a moment of silence before deep inhales were followed with curses.

“Shit. That black monkey is coming!”

“Fuck. It’s fine. We’ll tell the boss we injured the Alpha of the pack so it’ll be easier to get access to this place!”

“We can’t say that, idiot! They’re going to heighten the security now! Or better yet, they’ll go away and abandon this place. Fuck. Let’s move. Hurry. We’ll get some reinforcements to come over here to try to find that boy.”

“HISS!”

“AH! Get it!”

Racing footsteps moved further and further away until the silence descended around me.

“Meow?” There was a soft nudge to my head, followed by a soft pat. “Meow! Meow.”

Muffin?

I wanted to respond as she continued to meow away, her sound getting louder in desperation for someone to hear her, but my mind was fading by the second until I couldn’t fight it any longer.

I surrendered to the darkness.

~HARPER~

“Where’d Muffin go?”

I tried to think of something else other than the feeling of excitement bubbling through me.

Ian Chestwood kissed me. Ian wants us to date.

It felt like I was lying, my head light as ever as I kept replaying the same moment again in the time span it took us to calm down and clean up the treehouse. Now we were looking for Muffin and I had no clue where she was.

“Maybe she already left?” Ian offered. “Though, that’s not like her.”

“It really isn’t,” I admitted with a pout. “The only time she leaves us is when O’Neil or Carter are around.”

“Hmm.” Ian frowned as he seemed deep in thought. “O’Neil is inside so maybe Carter was around?”

“But if Carter was here, wouldn’t he have said something?” I pondered while Reika and I thought about the possible chance of Carter being around. I didn’t know why my stomach dropped like I was in trouble or something, but the possible chance of Carter coming to the treehouse when Ian kissed me made it feel like I’d done something bad.

We did nothing wrong…right?

“Nothing wrong,” Reika emphasized. “But…feel uneasy?”

The fact Reika was unsure herself only further worried me as I looked back at Ian to see him suddenly flinch.

“Ian?”

I walked over to him, but his wide eyes of silver weren’t looking my way. It was like he was looking past me while his attention was further away. Various expressions filtered through his face before he jolted out of it and shook his head.

“Carter’s in trouble!” His declaration freaked me out, the panic in his voice as obvious as the slight tremble in his body. He didn’t even delay as he grabbed my hand and the two of us raced out of the treehouse and glided down the ladder.

We were running to the house, just as O’Neil came out with Levi.

“O’Neil!” Ian called out. “Carter’s in trouble!”

O’Neil didn’t delay as he ran forward, and I came to a stop as I watched his entire body shift. The sound of loud cracks reminded me of when I’d fallen off the cliff and broken some bones, only it was obvious that O’Neil was breaking his bones on purpose as his body changed mid-stride.

One minute, he was my beloved O’Neil, and the next, he was a massive wolf of black fur and fierce eyes that lost their bluish color to shift into a flaming gold. He honestly looked ginormous in comparison to the other wolves, but what caught my attention was how fast he was - his body suddenly moving in a blur until he blended into the shadows of the forest.

Levi reached where we stood, and I noticed at the corner of my eye that Damien, Hayden, and Heston were approaching. They were all out of breath as if they had run across the sacred grounds to reach us.

“Why was Carter in the forest?” Ian questioned in confusion.

“He wasn’t,” Levi answered. Even in this frightening situation, his voice carried some sort of calm. “O’Neil told him to come get you two from the treehouse.”

Oh no.

“He…saw?”

Maybe…but…why does it bother him? Do you think it bothers him?

Reika didn’t answer immediately, but whispered, “Maybe…likes us?”

Like as in like-like?!

“Not sure.”

Ian didn’t say anything, but Damien stepped forward as his eyes darted between us.

“Did something happen?”

“Um…” Ian struggled to continue, but I bit my lip before deciding to be honest.

“Ian and I kissed.”

Damien, Hayden, Heston, and Levi just stared at us for a long ten seconds before Levi looked worried.

“He saw.” He didn’t say it like it was a guess. He was confident Carter saw what Reika and I were speculating, but I didn’t understand why it was bad.

“Why is that bad?” I asked innocently while I tried not to fidget in place.

Neither Levi nor Damien said anything, but my eyes caught onto Hayden and Heston as they shared a look and glanced my way.

“Alphas are very territorial,” they spoke in unison. “Carter’s protective of you but it’s also because he cares a lot. Like…a lot.”

“Carter doesn’t like-like Harper,” Ian argued.

“You’re an idiot,” Damien groaned. I don’t think he meant to insult Ian, but he seemed agitated with worry. “Carter really likes Harper.”

“Well…how was I supposed to know?” Ian barked. “He’s always angry!”

“Ian.” Levi looked disappointed as he stared at Ian. “You don’t realize just how much Carter goes through for all of us, do you? If you understood, you’d get why this is bad.”

“Is it bad that Ian kissed me?” I felt lost because I didn’t know what we did wrong. I was still trying to get over the idea that Carter liked me.

He doesn’t show he likes me…but does he? Well…I do like him…but do I like him like how I like Ian? Do I have to choose who I like more?

“It’s not necessarily bad, Harper,” Damien reasoned. “It’s just bad when you look at the pack dynamic.”

“Dynamic?” I was trying to follow.

“Ian’s at the bottom of the pack in terms of him joining,” Hayden spoke up as Heston nodded and continued, “Even though he’s technically Beta when Carter and Levi aren’t around, in terms of who’s been in the pack the longest, Carter is the leader and Ian is the new recruit still.”

“But…it’s been eight years,” Ian defended.

“It doesn’t matter,” Levi noted. “You basically made a claim on the girl Carter is interested in. It looks bad.”

“But I didn’t know!” Ian sounded frustrated, but I could tell his anger was simply upsetting Damien as he countered, “It’s your job TO know, Ian! You’re supposed to be a Beta, like Levi. Your duty is to make sure you’re up with everything like Levi is.”

“You guys don’t include me in anything!” Ian fought back.

“We don’t include you in anything because you’re always playing with Harper while we’re hiding because we can’t tell Dolly or Sam that Harper knows about us!” Damien yelled back.

“That’s…not my fault!”

“Nothing is ever your fault!” Damien mocked. “Yet you kissed Harper when Carter obviously likes her!”

“Well…it’s not my fault Harper likes me more!”

“She only likes you more because you found her when it was Carter’s patrol that night!”

“That’s not true!” Ian snapped.

“I bet it is and you’re just taking advantage! You’re insulting our Alpha! It’s thanks to Carter that you even get all this freedom!”

“Says who?!”

“Says the Elders!” Damien snapped. “You’re so ungrateful! All the shit Carter deals with for you and you do-” His words suddenly stopped as all of them seemed to flinch. “Fuck. Carter!”

Damien was running before anyone else, and Hayden and Heston followed seconds after - the three of them shifting just the way O’Neil did.

“Dammit,” Levi cursed and looked at Ian. “Shift and find Carter! If he gets seriously hurt, it’s going to be bad.”

Ian simply nodded and with a sad look my way, he ran after the others as he shifted into Wolfie.

That left me with Levi and there was that sinking feeling of hopelessness that began to flood my stomach. Levi reached out to give me a hug.

“I know you don’t get it, and I really don’t want to leave you, but we have to make sure Carter isn’t seriously hurt or…” He pulled back and for the first time I could see the sadness in his eyes. “Or we’ll have to go away for a while.”

“Go away?” I was devasted at the idea.

Levi nodded slowly. “Carter has a lot of responsibility. The adults…treat him like he’s already one of them. They only let him stay because he asked to remain here.”

“Asked to remain?”

“Sacred Moon for Endangered Wolves was always made to be temporary. We weren’t supposed to stay here. Wolves come and go because they filter us out into various packs, but thanks to Carter, we all get to stay together. Think of Carter as the North. He’s supposed to be at the sanctuary up there. Damien and I would probably join him, but it’s not guaranteed. Hayden and Heston would be separated to the East and West, and Ian…well…he’s supposed to be in the South.”

“But why?” They worked so well together. Why separate them?

“That’s how it is, Harper.” His eyes were pleading with me to understand the glimpse of information he’d given me. I was sure he wasn’t allowed to, but he was due to the situation. “We’re supposed to go to different schools, too, but thanks to Carter, we’re not fully separated. He even tried to get Ian and you into the same school. He tried really hard, but because Ian’s from the South, they said no.”

“They won’t let Ian be together with you guys?”

Levi shook his head. “There’s a reason North and South don’t get along, but I can’t tell you, Harper. I’ve said too much already,” he earnestly admitted. “You can’t tell anyone.”

“I won’t, Levi,” I promised. “We have to find Carter.”

He bit his lip as he looked at me, and I knew without a spoken word that he didn’t want me coming.

He didn’t want me getting hurt.

“I like Carter, too, Levi,” I quietly admitted as tears began to flood my eyes. “Kissing Ian…it happened, and I liked it. I like Ian…but I also care a lot about Carter too. I didn’t know he liked me…I…well…” I was struggling to figure out how to explain what I was feeling. “I like them both…but I can’t date both of them, can I?”

He didn’t say anything, but he moved his hands from my shoulders to press them on my cheeks. “You’re the key to all of this, Harper.” His voice was barely a whisper. “You’re in the middle and have the power to connect us all, but you can’t let the adults see that.”

“I can’t?”

“It’s confusing,” he concluded. “We can’t tell you until you can truly be one of us.”

I knew he meant shift like the rest of them, which only made me feel more useless.

“But when we’re older, it’ll get easier,” Levi quickly added and lifted my head up by my chin so I could see the determination in his eyes. “I hate feeling useless. Feeling helpless in situations that revolve around me. I get it….and I wish I could tell you everything, but I can’t. To keep you safe. To stop them from trying to take Ian away. You just have to understand.”

A howling sound echoed from afar, causing goosebumps to crawl up my arms.

“Enemy wolves,” Levi whispered. “Harper, go inside! I have to help the others. I’m the next strongest.” He gave me one more tight squeeze before he was sprinting into the forest. I didn’t hear him shift until he was already racing through the thick trees, but I couldn’t move as I stood in my exact spot.

Everything felt like it was spiraling out of control, and it was all over a kiss. I went from being happy to full of dread, and what I struggled with the most was accepting that I’d always be left in the dark.

Because to everyone else…I was just a human.

A weak human girl - an orphan who arrived here out of circumstance. I wanted to do something, to help Carter and tell him that I liked him too, but maybe it would sound forced?

A band-aid to the problem.

Running my hands through my brown locks, I looked around before biting my lip. I was scared to disobey, but I couldn’t go into the house when Carter and the others were in danger. It made me feel like a coward, and I wasn’t one.

I was a Wolf Tamer. I was supposed to protect my family. They loved me…I couldn’t let them get hurt by evil wolves.

“Fight!” Reika agreed with me, and that was all I needed to hear to push me forward.

Running through the dark forest reminded me of that fateful night, my heart pumping while I breathed in and out rapidly. My arms moved swiftly as my legs raced to get me to Carter and the others faster.

I didn’t know where I was supposed to go, but Reika was guiding me in her own way. I felt her presence overwhelming my senses, and it almost felt like she had control of my limbs while my mind was still alert to everything going on.

Our goal was the same: to find Carter.

We ran and ran, turning corners and attempting to find some sort of trail. It was difficult with all the various scents around us, not to mention the howls in the distance as well as other noises that frightened me.

I tuned them all out as I desperately hoped for some sort of sign to find Carter. It felt like it was my duty to find him - that this was all my fault and I had to be the one to fix it. I wished I weren’t left in the dark about so many things, but no one else but the pack and O’Neil would tell me anything that I deserved to know.

Because I couldn’t shift like the rest. How was that fair?

I had to be one of them. Reika was proof of that, but why wasn’t that enough?

Will I ever be enough?

“Meow!”

I skidded to a stop, the sudden move sending me flying forward until I skidded along the dirt floor. “Ow.”

I could feel the pain on my knees and arms from the fall, but my head was up and that was when I caught the slight whiff of it.

Pumpkin…

“Carter,” I whispered and caught onto the familiar sound.

“Meow!”

“Muffin!” I shouted and ran in the direction of my kitten’s cry. She kept going, the sound growing stronger and stronger while the scent of pumpkin filled my nostrils. It took three minutes of running at full speed to finally see my little kitten as she stood before a bunch of spiked bushes.

Her eyes lit up at my arrival before she jumped up and down and began to circle the piled bush. The scent of pumpkin was solid enough for me to dive right at the pile, clawing at it until I got a glimpse of Carter’s face.

“Carter?”

My heart stopped while my hands went into overdrive to remove the remaining bushes that concealed Carter from sight. I ignored the pain in my trembling hands and the metallic scent that reminded me of the past.

The small scratches on my hands were nothing in comparison to the unique smell of blood coming from Carter. The moment he was out from his buried protection, I shook him and tried to wake him up.

“Carter? Carter?” I lay down on the ground next to him, desperate to catch the sound of him breathing. It took an added second because of the pounding sound of my own blood pumping through my veins, but I caught onto his weak inhales and exhales.

I should have felt relieved, but when I looked down at his body and then scanned around us, I noticed the cliff further ahead and realized he’d fallen from the top.

Wait…

The familiarity of our surroundings only reminded me of that fateful night and fear crept through me, the frightening worries of death’s approach. This had to be the same place that I’d found myself six years ago on the verge of disappearing forever.

How did we get this far? Why did Carter run all the way to this place? Did he even know?

The sound of a click caught my attention as it did Reika’s. The two of us froze in our spot as a single footstep broke a branch nearby.

Someone’s here!

Muffin moved to stand in front of our lying bodies, and I knew from the way her hair began to rise up that someone bad was approaching.

“Who would have thought I’d be able to capture the prince and his lost princess.”

I had no choice but to lift my head and look forward. A man cloaked in black approached us with cautious steps and an obvious gun in his hand.

A gun directed at us.

I noticed a glimpse of moonlight that shone through the cloudy sky as I suddenly realized it was on the verge of raining. Thunder boomed through the sky as bolts of lightning illuminated the dark shadows of this very spot.

I couldn’t tell who this man was, but he was scary. His eyes were red, and he carried a smile upon his lips like he’d won something. The rest of his body was cloaked in black, reminding me of the men who’d tried to kill me years ago.

“It’s been hard to get you out into these parts with you all protected, royal wolf,” he whispered with a gleeful grin that made his eyes look scarier as he approached. “But now you’ve been found and you’re going to have to pay for existing.”

“HISS!” Muffin prepared to jump at the man, and I gasped and jumped to grab her.

A sound that had haunted me in my nightmares hit the air, and my entire body was tensed in wait of the agonizing pain from the past.

“Troublesome boy,” the man snarled, forcing me to open my eyes to see Muffin and I were surrounded by a golden light. My eyes immediately peered forward, widening as I took in Carter’s back.

“Carter!” My scream was loud as I noticed the obvious wound in his arm that began to drip blood. The oozing dark liquid made me shiver at the mere sight of it.

“I suggest you play nice, boy,” the man demanded with his threatening voice. “I won’t miss the second time.”

“There won’t be a second time,” Carter weakly stated. “You hurt my mate, and you’ll face the consequences.”

Mate?

“Well, you can’t do a thing when you’re filled with bullets. Let’s see if your wolf abilities can save you from this.”

I knew from the glint in this man’s eyes that he was going to pull the trigger again. I couldn’t allow it, so I ran forward and crashed into Carter like I was hugging him. I felt Muffin jump out of my grasp before the onslaught of loud sounds hit the air, but all I could focus on was protecting Carter even if it meant I got hurt.

Something warm ignited behind the back of my hand, but nothing prepared my ears for the screams of pain that came from the very culprit of the bullets.

By the time I opened my eyes and acknowledged the fact that Carter and I still stood, the agonizing sounds were nothing but gurgles. Peering to the side to get a view aside from Carter’s back, my eyes took in the massive white wolf that took my breath away.

She reminded me of Reika, but she was far bigger and elegant looking for a wolf. Right away, I knew she was female, but her size and beauty were jaw-dropping to see up close. Even with drops of blood falling from her large, sharp teeth, I could feel the protective energy oozing off of her.

Her eyes of wisdom landed on us, and I realized the golden barrier that was once around only me and Muffin was now shifting to various colors of the rainbow, like a prism. Most importantly, it had expanded to protect Carter as well while the multiple bullets that should have assaulted our bodies remained stuck in the protective rainbow wall.

My acknowledgment made the barrier begin to crack until it shattered entirely, which made the bullets fall to the ground. The man fell back as the last specks of life faded from his eyes, which rolled back.

The moment he dropped to the ground, I heard howling in the distance, but nothing could take my attention away from the wolf before us as she examined our beings. My body trembled, not out of fear, but with what felt like exhaustion, and maybe that was what made me notice the way my body was glowing.

The same energy that now rained down upon us like rainbow glitter oozed off of me like I was a lit match with flames that rose higher and higher in burning dismay. Only, for the first time in a long time, I felt powerful, even though I felt like I’d accomplished nothing.

Carter looked over his shoulder, his weak eyes acknowledging my glowing being just like how I noticed a crown over his head. It was magnificently gold and glimmered with an energy I couldn’t really describe.

All I knew was my attention was specifically on it as I reached out with my trembling hand as if I could touch the glowing object with a slight tap. Carter’s hand stopped me just when I was going to touch it, and though his grip around my wrist was gentle, I pouted at his need to prevent me from touching the glowing symbol of royalty.

My eyes diverted to meet his, and for a split second, it didn’t feel like we’d been in a life-or-death situation.

Instead, it was as if we were younger, the two of us wearing crowns and gallant attire in a forest full of pink flowers surrounded by protective stones.

“Our secret place.” The words left me before I could stop them and sparked a glimmer of hope in Carter’s eyes of dancing gold. It felt weird to see both orbs in one solid color, but maybe that was the least of our problems.

It was probably at the bottom of our worries.

What I didn’t expect was to see those orbs grow glassy with emotion before he tugged me lightly so I’d lean in closer.

Close enough for his lips to lightly touch mine.

Unlike my kiss with Ian, this brief touch of his rough lips lit my body up like I was on fire, but there wasn’t a hint of pain.

My entire being felt like it was flooded with happiness, a level of that joyous emotion I didn’t think existed since the days when my family was alive.

The kiss finished just as fast as it started, and I was left to stare into his eyes as they softened. A single tear rolled down his cheek just from watching me, but it was the sad smile that graced his lips that broke my heart.

“It’s too early…Harper,” he whispered, and his eyes grew heavy as he muttered, “You can’t remember…yet…or else I won’t…be old enough…to protect…” He trailed off as his eyes closed, and I tried to hold onto his weight as he collapsed into my hold.

His weight was unexpected, and it left us collapsing onto the ground.

“Carter? Carter?!”

His head was resting on my shoulder and I knew he was still breathing, but those inhales were far slower than they had been previously, and I feared he’d die on me.

He can’t die.

I looked over to the wolf that remained, watching as she stared at me in wonder. My eyes were already overflowing with tears while I hugged Carter tightly as if he’d fade into little sparkles and leave me all alone in this forsaken space.

“Please,” I practically begged as sobs threatened to escape. “I can’t lose Carter.”

The wolf continued to observe me as my lip trembled and sobs left me.

“He’s the Alpha of the pack…and he makes sure to take care of everyone, even though…I feel he doesn’t take care of himself,” I began as if this wolf could change what may happen if I didn’t get Carter help. “We fight a lot, even when he’s in his human form, which rare because it’s a secret and no one else can know that I know his human side like the others in the pack…because I can’t shift like them. Even though I want to…and want to help, I can’t.”

My sobs were harder as I cried about my current circumstances. I wanted to desperately help Carter and yet he was in my arms and there was nothing I could do. He protected me from danger, from the evil man who wanted to fill me with bullets, just like those past men who got rid of my family.

I couldn’t dare lose Carter to the same fate. I may have just found out about his feelings for me, but it didn’t mean I had nothing in return. I just needed to sort things out. To have that opportunity for everything to settle in once I knew all those I cared about were safe and sound.

But even when everything is well again, will I be able to choose between Ian and Carter?

“This is my fault,” I whimpered as I sniffed to stop the snot from leaving my nostrils. “Ian…kissed me and Carter saw. Carter likes me and I didn’t know. He ran out here and got hurt, and then he protected me from the evil man and the bullets that killed my last family.”

My rambles made no sense, but the wolf pitied me as she began to approach, step by step, as I cried harder and let the words out.

“I wanna help Carter. I…I care about him, but it’s not fair. I’m not special like them. Reika’s stuck inside me, which makes me human, but I know I’m a wolf. O’Neil says I have magic, but I don’t have anyone who can help me use it. I wanna be helpful. I wanna protect those I love so I never lose my family again. Please don’t let me lose Carter. Please…I beg you.”

The wolf was before me and Carter, and a glowing light emitted from her body until it was like a figure stood before me. It was hard to see any of her features, but her hair levitated in the air and a crown sat upon her glowing silhouette.

It looked as if she carried a cape on her shoulders, one with fur that glowed with hues of turquoise, just like her strands of hair. To my eyes, it was like witnessing an angel, and the waves of warmth that hit me began to calm my anxiety and fear for the worst.

She crouched down before me without a word, taking in my flushed, wet cheeks and trembling lips. As a tear escaped my eyes, her hand reached out to stop its descent and I couldn’t help closing my eyes because the touch was so warm and loving.

It reminded me of how much I missed my mom in times of peril.

My body began to calm as my sobs and whimpers came to a stop. I struggled to open my eyes, but I could only get them open halfway as the warm touch to my cheek moved down until she held the pendant of my necklace.

I watched as it began to boost its own illuminating force, and that tingling heat I’d felt when Carter kissed me fled outward until we were surrounded in a prism bubble. My body was vibrating with energy again as my brunette locks floated upward, like the woman before me.

For a brief second, I caught a glimpse of her lips - the soft surface coated with pink gloss lifting up as if this being were proud of me.

Her gaze lowered and I followed her lead, noticing that Carter’s left arm that had been shot was now healed. In fact, his once pale complexion and weak persona seemed to have faded away and he looked as if he were just sleeping.

“He’s…okay,” I whispered in disbelief, but my eyes weren’t deceiving me. He truly was better. Reika felt like he was, and I had to believe her because I could see it with my own two eyes.

The tender touch to the top of my head encouraged me to lift my head, which suddenly felt far too heavy, all while my eyes struggled to see straight as my vision went to double.

I tried to catch a clearer glimpse of this being - to thank her for helping me - but my thoughts couldn’t make it into words as my brain felt like it was falling into a sinking fog.

The strokes to my head didn’t stop, even as I began to lose the battle of staying awake. I tried to fight it the best I could in hopes of keeping Carter safe from harm’s way until help came, but it was a losing game. It was only a matter of time before I’d be forced to admit defeat.

“It’s alright.”

A tender voice of tranquility pulsed through my head, and suddenly, I was filled with immense peace. I wondered who this wolf was. Could she be Mother Moon?

A part of me wondered if it really was her, if she came down to a physical form just to protect her children from death.

“Mommy?” The word left me as my eyes finally gave in to the tempting need to close. I slumped over with Carter, but the ground didn’t hit me as fast as it should have. It felt like I’d fallen into a cushion of warmth, one that took away all the pain, worries, and troubles of the world around us and replaced them with calming peace.

Cracking bones caught my attention, and it felt like I was now hugging a wolf. Carter had shifted to his wolf form, the pumpkin scent engulfing me just like the warm light that shone on the back of my eyelids.

When I felt the ground, it was still warm in comparison to the time I’d struggled for breath. My body was drained, the exhaustion of the events finally taking its toll, but it felt as if I’d spent a long day training the wolves and allowed myself to rest.

For the first time in the shadows of the wilderness, I felt safe, but the voice whispered gently in my mind.

“You’re safe, sweetheart. Just rest. Things will get better…and one day…you’ll find the truth about it all. Be patient, sweet child. Your time is coming.”

“Harper?!”

“Carter?!”

People were calling out our names, but my mind was drifting further away. It felt like I was dreaming, and now I ran in a white dress that shifted into various colors. My hands were spread out as I laughed and squealed, my brown shoulder-length locks fluttering in the wind behind me as I felt absolutely free.

Spinning around, I saw my fellow wolves - my sacred pack of wolves. With one spin, they were in their wolf forms racing towards me, and the next moment they were in their human counterparts in different silk shirts.

In human form, they laughed, and in wolf form, they howled, and it didn’t matter that we went back and forth because, in this field of pink flowers, all that mattered was that we were together and happy.

I felt my hand being grasped from one side, and I turned to see Ian, who wore a big smile on his face. I giggled and felt the grasp from the other side and looked to see Carter, who smiled with confidence.

My hands tightened around them as we spun around and enjoyed the warmth of the moonlight above, as our packmates circled us in glee.

There was no right or wrong in this land and I didn’t feel pressured to choose.

In this world, I was surrounded by what was mine, and I vowed to never let go.

10

CONSEQUENCES AND ONE DAY

~IAN~

“DO you know how close she could have been to finding out the truth, Ian?!”

If only they knew the truth.

Rogan was on a ranting spree as Sam stood by to make sure he didn’t go completely ballistic at the news. We were in the small barn near the edge of the property. It was past the gated area where we normally lurked around when Dolly and Harper trained us.

The others in the pack stood quietly against the wall, listening in as Rogan ripped me to shreds with insulting words.

Carter was absent, still resting in the main house in the guest room while Harper was tucked in her bed, fast asleep after the mayhem. No one understood how she found Carter before any of us, but whatever happened left her and Carter asleep in the same spot I’d found her in six years ago.

I hadn’t been given much time to consider what the significance of this could be, but all I could focus on was how I was in trouble for triggering Carter to go into the woods and get hurt.

Or he had been hurt.

O’Neil mentioned that there was definitely blood on the floor that belonged to Carter and a few bits from Harper, which could be explained by the scratches on her hands, but on further inspection, they were both fine.

Even I could sense the magic in the air when we arrived, and no matter what the adults tried to downplay, I knew the bulk of the foreign yet powerful energy was oozing off of Harper.

Before Rogan had arrived, O’Neil had been giving Sam a report. He said something strong had been summoned and as of now, he had a strong feeling Harper had been the summoner of this beast.

He didn’t know if it was a wolf or something else, but it was very strong, or at least strong enough to kill the man who had every intention of hurting Carter and Harper. O’Neil said he’d have to do a detailed investigation, but he had a very strong hunch from the man’s scent that he was one of the hunters that tried to kill Harper years ago.

Now I was here, being lectured for triggering Carter.

None of the others said the truth about the matter - the fact that the trigger was that I kissed Harper. I didn’t think they wanted me dead or kicked out of the pack, so Damien told Rogan I got into a fight with Carter’s wolf and Harper saw it, which was why she followed after him.

It was the only excuse we could go with to preserve our kept secret, but it was hard to endure this degrading moment.

“Are you listening, boy?!”

“I’m listening,” I muttered.

“Not with that attitude,” Rogan snapped. “She can’t go finding out you’re a wolf, Ian. How many times do we have to tell you this? See, Sam? Y’all are spoiling this boy rotten and now he’s some weak little shit with a fucking attitude!”

“Rogan, that’s enough.” Sam looked beat. I felt a bit bad because, from his attire, I felt like he’d been on a date with Dolly.

One they had probably been waiting for eons to enjoy.

I felt bad, especially when I knew in a few weeks we’d be off to our one-month vacation, and he wouldn’t get to spend time with Dolly in the new year since it was always busy due to the winter season.

“No. This boy needs to learn a lesson. Why is he the one getting off the hook with everything? See them boys lined up silently?” Rogan purposely pointed to Damien, Levi, Hayden, and Heston. “Not only do they take shit seriously, but they also respect their elders! You saved this boy from the damn foster care system and yet he can’t show an ounce of gratefulness. Even Harper is more useful and humble than this brat!”

I tried to fight the stinging in my eyes as I clenched my fists to try to control my anger. He didn’t know me. He had no right to say anything. All he was good for was reminding me that I was nothing but an orphan, and I hated that.

Despised the fact that I couldn’t bury away the obvious: that I didn’t belong.

Wolfie growled in my head, which only made it harder to stay still and not react to our joined frustration.

“You best not be growling in that empty head of yours,” Rogan threatened, and I couldn’t stop myself from glaring up at him while my palms were surely white from the lack of blood circulation.

Why is everyone blaming me instead of seeing my point of view? Why is it okay to be left in the dark while everyone else clearly knew what was going on? Is it because I’m a poor orphan in comparison to the others? All because my family didn’t leave me money behind? It wasn’t their fault that they died.

Moments like these left me wishing to remember the past. To attempt to recall my parents or even remember if I had any siblings. I never understood the term “outcast” as much as I did in this moment of isolation and ridicule.

And how much I wish to be with Harper.

Aside from Carter, who probably understood me - even when I didn’t want to believe he did - Harper actually took the time to know me. She may have been younger, but sometimes it felt like we were the same age, and she could see my viewpoint without much explanation.

She’d also shown signs of confusion about why Carter had been triggered by our kiss, and though I now understood a bit of why I was in the wrong, she would have helped me understand further without yelling at me like I was some kind of idiot.

That’s what I hated. Being ridiculed and degraded like I’m nothing but shit.

When Rogan yelled at me, it reminded me of my nightmares from when I’d first been taken in: pointing and mockery from shadow people in a stadium - all of their fingers pointed at me as they laughed and belittled my worth.

To the shadow people, I was nothing.

A weak disgrace, a waste of space, a disservice to the world.

What always threw me over the edge and woke me up in a sweaty mess of whimpers and muffled screams was the large figure who wore a crown upon his head. It was like he was the king of this shadowland and in the dream, he carried immense power.

There was something about him that made me want his approval. Like his encouragement would stop all those who tried to make me feel like nothing. But no matter how many times I endured the same night terror, it ended up the same.

The king of shadows would deliver a hollow smile of glowing red while his eyes would narrow at me in disgust. Then, like the rest of the world, he’d laugh and spit out that I deserved to disappear. I’ll never be as strong as anyone in this world, and now that I’ve been discarded, I’ll never be loved by anyone worthy of power.

No matter the amount of time or lessened frequency of those nightmares, those words labeled me. And all this was doing was adding another label to plaster upon my forehead for the world to see.

Or at least, it felt like everyone could see.

The sudden sharp pain to my cheek forced me out of my thoughts, just as my body fell back until I sat on my ass and blinked in confusion.

“Rogan,” Sam hissed in warning, but the man in question couldn’t give two shits about Sam. His hand was still up from slapping me.

“Don’t you just ignore me, boy! Apologize!”

I simply stared at the floor because I didn’t know what I was supposed to be apologizing for. I knew I was in the wrong now, so Carter deserved an apology, and I guess my pack, too, cause they now had to stand along the wall when they were probably tired and wished to sleep, but Rogan didn’t deserve an apology.

Apologize for him being an ass? Screw that.

“If you didn’t spoil this brat, he’d fucking listen, Sam!” Rogan snapped and my head was forced to the other side as another slap hit my other cheek. The stinging didn’t bother me in comparison to the past. It was easy to numb the stinging force away, so Rogan could hit me all he wanted.

It’s not like this was his first time.

“Rogan, stop.” Sam wasn’t playing around with this warning. “You can’t go fucking abusing our kid.”

“Your stuck-up adopted kid that can’t fucking do anything properly? Can’t get into a good school, and has to go to the only school in town because they’re the only one who will accept him? The boy who’s dragging your daughter, Harper, down? She ended up getting accepted to the elite school but because of this boy right here, she’s staying behind because she doesn’t wanna leave him like a stray puppy. This weak thing that’s only ever causing trouble for his own pack is the one I should stop a-bus-ing? It ain’t abuse when you have to discipline the weak, stupid, and frail, Sam! You told me this boy’s a Beta in their pack? Surely, the prince of the pack clearly felt pity for him and decided to give him some type of role of importance! That didn’t do shit when he started shit and again, could have gotten Harper killed because she decided she wanted to help.”

“Stop bringing Harper into this,” Sam groaned.

“Why? Don’t want me pointing out the fact that this boy is nothing but baggage? He’s ruining Harper’s future and the one time I’m actually standing up for the girl, you’re telling me to shut it.”

“That’s because you’re normally only on her side when it benefits you.”

I only needed to move my head just slightly to see O’Neil walk out from the shadows he surely had been blending into, his expression alone proving he wasn’t in the slightest impressed.

“Don’t get into this, O’Neil,” Rogan warned. “You know I’m in my right here. This is wolf shit.”

“I’m well aware,” O’Neil replied, but it didn’t stop him from crossing his arms over his chest and looking more intimidating than before. “My wolf can gladly join in the conversation if you like. You remember Dante, right?”

Rogan’s face dipped at the mere mention of the name, and he muttered a bunch of curses before he glared my way.

“We’re transferring you.”

That got everyone’s attention, including mine, and I lifted my head up in shock.

“What?”

“I warned you, didn’t I?” Rogan declared as his eyes narrowed. “If you cause trouble for the pack, we’ll transfer you like we were supposed to do years ago. All I need is Carter to break the bond and you’re going down to the South where you belong.”

“Rogan.” Sam approached now, but I was up and standing in front of Rogan with eyes of blazing rage as Wolfie nudged at my senses before I could acknowledge it.

“I’m not going anywhere without Harper!”

“You’re the reason she’s being held back, you brat! It’ll be good fucking riddance if you get out of her life while she’s still young and unattached! Can’t you see you’ve made enough trouble for your own pack?! Stand fucking down.”

“You’re not getting rid of me! You’re not my Alpha!”

“I’ll show you who’s your fucking Alpha!” Rogan snarled, his eyes beginning to illuminate with gold as he lifted his fist to punch me.

I made sure I didn’t move as my glaring eyes bored into his, ready for the punch that would send me flying seconds later. Something moved in between us - and Rogan’s punch came to a dramatic stop as everyone literally froze at the sight and tense feeling in the air.

“And who’s permission did you get to spurt out nonsense when I’m not around, Rogan?”

The silence that followed only emphasized Carter’s words while Rogan’s fist was a centimeter from his face.

C…Carter.

No one could ignore the elephant in the room. The overflowing Alpha energy oozing off of Carter was making everyone struggle to remain standing. My packmates didn’t bother fighting it any longer as they came down on one knee and bowed their heads.

Sam was the next to succumb to the energy, and even as Rogan gritted his teeth, he couldn’t fight against Carter’s power and fell to his knees. Only O’Neil and I remained standing, but my knees buckled suddenly as if a slight hit of wind knocked out the back of my knees.

My eyes immediately moved over to the lined group, and I noticed the way Levi’s eyes were currently a striking emerald green and slowly shifting back to their amber-gold. He had a slight smirk and I noticed Damien roll his eyes and nudge Levi just slightly.

It was just O’Neil left as he walked over to stand closer to us before he voluntarily knelt down while giving Carter his full attention.

“I was talking to you, Rogan.” Carter’s voice was deep and almost unrecognizable, which alerted us that his wolf was fully in control. Carter’s wolf was far more controlling and upfront, and he had a short temper in comparison to Carter.

I may know Carter the least compared to the rest of the members in the pack, but I could tell Carter was far nicer in comparison to the few times I’d witnessed his wolf in action. When his wolf was in control, he was merciless and demanded attention just with his presence. Maybe this was why many of the adults couldn’t push him around the way they wished.

They could threaten me because I was nothing, but they wouldn’t ever do the same to Carter.

To them, Carter was damn royalty and you either bowed down or got the hell out of his path of wrath.

“The other adults and I concluded that it’s about time Ian transferred over to the South Sanctuary,” Rogan answered while his venomous eyes looked my way. “He’s immature, weak, and nothing but a hassle to everyone. He’s the reason you’re attending the elite school without Harper, isn’t that right? Why defend someone who got into an argument with you, put you and your pack in jeopardy, and could have caused Harper to get hurt?”

Carter didn’t say anything at first, and the level of dread that tried to consume me was almost too much to bear. In this moment of truth, I felt a sense of humiliation with my Alpha here as I got a condensed list of my failures and flaws.

“No matter what you think of Ian, he’s my pack member. None of you get to decide where he goes without getting final approval from me.” Carter emphasized those words and purposely waited a few seconds to make sure they sunk into Rogan’s brain. “I’m the one who reacted. Ian may have triggered me, but it was my choice to run into the forest to release some steam before I did something I regretted. It was my blind-sightedness that I didn’t sense the danger before it was too late, and it’s due to my actions that my packmates, who are loyal, and Harper, who’s our Wolf Tamer, had to come find me. They were doing their parts, and even though it put them all in danger, it proves their loyalty.”

“Loyalty doesn’t matter if you’re dead, Carter,” Rogan snapped.

“And yet I’m here talking to you.” His irritated voice sounded more like his wolf was in control.

“Harper could have died.”

“Harper is my responsibility to protect and if we didn’t have to be so secretive, she’d be able to protect herself just fine.”

“Don’t you go telling her anything, Carter!” Rogan snapped.

There was a moment of silence, and I didn’t have to see Carter’s face to know he was smiling menacingly at Rogan. The man’s eyes widened as he quivered slightly at the chill in the room.

“I love when you try to tame me, like those other useless Elders and Alphas who are so desperate to control me.” One single step and my arms were covered in goosebumps. But what frightened me more was that Carter’s energy wasn’t even directed my way.

It was all on Rogan, and the fear swarming in his eyes was priceless.

“Remember who’s of royal blood, Rogan,” Carter warned. “Last time I checked, I was the sole prince of Moonshine. I swore a magic oath not to reveal that Harper is my mate and I’ll keep it that way. Besides, like you kept stressing, we’re attending school soon and it would only cause trouble for Harper.”

He took a deep breath and sighed.

“Let me clear something up. Yes, Ian wasn’t allowed to be accepted into the school and yes, Harper was given the privilege to attend, but she rejected the opportunity the moment she knew Ian wouldn’t be attending.”

The news made me lift my head up as I looked at Carter’s back. He looked so much bigger and stronger in this moment, even though he was up against someone like Rogan.

He reminded me of a big brother fighting against a bully far older than both of us.

“And you know damn well that if it wasn’t because of my duty as Alpha to attend, all of us would have rejected the offer.”

That was something I didn’t know, and I couldn’t help but be surprised by the sudden news.

They were forced to go…but if it was their choice, they would stay?

“It’s a privileged opportunity you should be grateful for,” Rogan pointed out.

“Just because something glitters, that doesn’t mean it’s gold,” Carter muttered. “We, as a pack, were promised that we’d stay here at Sacred Moon except during the winter holidays when Harper came along. Now you’re changing things just to isolate Ian because you all agree he doesn’t blend with our pack.”

If the previous ridicule didn’t punch me in the gut, this news check did.

“Because he doesn’t belong, period.” Rogan wasn’t even trying to hide the fact he disliked me.

“That’s cool and all for you, but last time I checked, you’re not a part of my pack. Neither are any of the Elders who have big mouths and opinions on who enters, stays, and exits my life.”

I didn’t expect his next move - maybe no one expected it - because we all gawked as Rogan went flying back from the punch that came from Carter. Rogan crashed into the ground, and it took him a minute to be able to slowly sit up and reveal the massive, bruised spot on his left cheek.

Carter corrected his posture before he got straight to the point.

“No one physically disciplines the members in my pack but me.” His voice was deadpan but his words were loud and clear. “If you dare hit anyone connected to me again, I’ll make sure you lose a few teeth when I punch you into unconscious oblivion.”

The room filled with silence before Carter looked over his shoulder to give me his full attention. I was ready for whatever insults and harsh words he had for me.

“You don’t let someone outside the pack bully you,” Carter emphasized, which caught me off guard as I looked up at him in shock. “They push you, you push back. I don’t care if it’s Rogan or some other adult. You don’t take bullshit from anyone who doesn’t deserve to be respected.”

All I could do was slowly nod as he turned around entirely to face me.

“If you appear to be a weakling, who’s gonna protect Harper when we’re not around, huh?” His observation made me realize he wasn’t going to scold me like Rogan had. He wanted me to stop acting like I was still that little boy from years ago with no place to call my own.

“Stand up,” Carter ordered, and I did exactly that.

He took a look at my bruised cheek, and his eyes flared with anger that he quickly tamed.

“From today forward, you don’t let people walk over you. You’re a Beta in our pack, which means if I’m down for the count, you have to stand up for yourself in my absence. No one is going to come to your aid, especially in a few years when we’re no longer boys but men,” Carter lectured. “Adults don’t push your buttons when they know they can’t destroy you. Stop acting like you’re a nobody and letting people threaten your space.”

He took a step forward just so we could be face to face.

“No one can take you out of this pack but me. However, if you’re not going to prove to me that you’re strong enough to withstand taunting tactics, I won’t hesitate to take Harper with us to the elite school.”

My throat felt like it was closing off at the potential reality, and I had no doubt Carter felt my fear of being alone here. If they were all gone, there would be no one to fall back on. I’d be a true loner in this grand world that sometimes made me feel like an enemy outsider rather than one of its own.

His golden eyes bored into mine, but his voice filtered into my head. “I’m sealing Harper’s memories.”

My eyes grew as big as saucers staring back at him. The news was devasting to me.

W-Why?

“The Elders caught a print of Harper’s magic used in the woods. If she uses it again, they’ll be able to track her. If the Elders have it, there’s a good chance the enemy does, too. Even if the area is blocked off, it takes twenty-four hours for the magic print to fade. I’m allowed to stay one extra week after the others head to school to make sure you two are safe before the month-long vacation, but after that, you’re on your own.”

I was surprised he was sharing so much with me as we continued our stare-off. The others wouldn’t interfere, knowing Carter was probably testing me in some way and not wanting to disrupt that, but the mere idea of Harper not remembering the others left me feeling upset.

Will…she still remember Wolfie?

“Yes. But that’s it. She won’t know that O’Neil knows or any of that. She’ll know what she can be and that Wolfie is you, but there’ll be no other associations with us wolves of Sacred Moon and our human counterparts. She may remember the comment about our human counterparts naming us, but that’s it.”

Then…what happens now?

“You be Harper’s best friend.” He said it like it was so simple. “You be there for her like you unexpectedly were that night. You go to school together, pursue what you wish to pursue, and the days we come in our wolf forms will be like any other day with Harper and Dolly taming us.”

There’s…no other way?

A tiny part of me was happy at the role of being with Harper, but a good chunk was sad because I felt my packmates deserved better. They liked Harper, and we were just getting to know one another, and all of sudden they were being cut off by this sudden change.

It wasn’t fair, but what hurt me the most was the fact that Carter would bear all of this - carrying everything like he always did while protecting us from whatever went on with the Elders.

I knew I was the most naive in the group, and I truly didn’t understand this whole hierarchy of Elders and other Alphas from the South, East, and West, but I couldn’t deny that Carter was the strongest emotionally because no way would I be able to sacrifice so much.

He let go of this chance to love Harper when he has a crush on her.

“No,” he finally answered and for a split second, I saw the sadness in the hollows of his eyes. This was hurting him far more than he’d ever let on and it made my heart drop because I felt like he was getting the short end of the stick. “This is for the best…even if it may not look that way.”

Carter…

What else could I say to change his mind? It was clear he’d thought this through, and something told me he had to have been awake long enough to think it over. Situations like these made me realize how hard it was to be an Alpha.

Nothing is ever about you. Every decision revolves around everyone else’s safety, satisfaction, and overall happiness.

“I have something I have to do before I dismiss you and the pack. Apologize to the others and I’ll be back.”

Are you going to do the deed now?

He didn’t need to tell me what he was doing, but he did.

“Yes. Best to do it now and use the excuse that she hit her head. It’ll be a bit of a pain in the ass for her but at least she won’t second guess why she can’t remember things.”

Does that mean she’ll never remember?

“She’ll remember when Mother Moon deems her ready to recall the truth. I have no control over that, but I know what I need to do to ensure the spell will remain active even after my absence. You’ll figure it out. Just make sure whatever item I bestow with the spell isn’t removed for too long.”

Okay.

He gave a slight nod, signaling that our internal conversation was over. Returning his attention to everyone else in the room, he looked over at O’Neil.

“I need to do something real quick, and then we have to talk,” he announced.

“I’m all yours when you return.”

Carter looked at Sam and then Rogan. “I’ll say this one last time. Ian will remain in the pack. Harper will attend school with him. There’ll be no transfers of any sort. I vowed our pack would remain as six, and unless one of my pack members wishes to leave on their own accord, it will remain that way. Understood?”

They had no choice but to nod, which led to Carter looking over to the rest of the pack.

“Ian owes you all an apology. I’ll let him do that without my presence. I’ll be back. Stay here until then.”

There wasn’t much else to say after they nodded in understanding, and I watched Carter give me one last look before he headed to the small exit door.

Even after the door closed, the large space was quiet as his words settled into the air. I didn’t want to delay my newly-appointed task, so I headed straight to the line of my packmates and bowed my head.

“I’m sorry for the trouble I caused.” Deep down, I really was. This was indeed my fault, but I didn’t want to admit it. I wasn’t sure if my actions in short-sighted situations were out of rebellion, but now that I’d been given a moment’s grace, I realized that I really was in the wrong and made everyone’s life miserable.

Even Harper would have no choice but to forget what she’d known all these years, and that really hurt because it was again all my fault. These were the consequences of my blind actions, and I hoped no one carried resentment against me for it.

I remained in my position before Levi finally answered, “We forgive you.”

With Carter gone, he was in command, and his forgiveness represented our little pack of endangered wolves. It brought a hint of relief, though the heaviness of everything still weighed on my tired shoulders.

Rogan began to mutter random words and curses under his breath while rising from his knelt position. Sam simply shook his head and watched Rogan stamp out, leaving us to do whatever.

“It’s gonna be a long night,” Sam concluded.

“Might as well make some coffee and hot chocolate at this rate,” O’Neil offered and looked at us. “Stay here and wait for Carter to return. We’ll go make you guys something warm to drink and a little snack to eat before we evaluate what happened and what we can do to avoid such future situations. Cool?”

“Cool, O’Neil,” Damien responded for the group.

With a nod of his head, he and Sam were next to depart. This was my chance to tell the others what Carter would have to do, and I wondered if he’d be alright.

It’s in his hands now…but I have to get stronger…smarter…do better. Or I’ll just be a burden to everyone, like I was tonight.

Wolfie agreed with my resolve as we allowed our minds to dwell on it. From tonight on, we’d have to do better.

For Harper’s sake…and the love we wish to blossom.

~CARTER~

THE MOMENT I left the barn, I turned a sharp left and took three steps with a finger upon my lips. Understanding flooded those orbs of blue before I used my free hand to reach out to the girl before me.

With her hand in mine, I lightly grasped onto Harper’s hand and led the way to where I knew we’d have enough privacy for me to do what needed to be done. Every step felt like it would lead me closer to death, and though such ideologies were overdramatic, what I was going to do held a heavier weight than the end of life.

With death, you were delivered a level of peace after fulfilling the road we’d paved for ourselves to walk upon. What I was going to do would alter whatever timeline was predetermined for us - just like what was done to us to lead Harper and me on two different paths when it always should have been one.

I’d woken up mere minutes after I’d been situated into the guest room, and I didn’t waste a second trying to figure out what would be the best solution to all of this.

This felt like one of those last resort moves and I absolutely hated it, but I knew what the Elders would do if they could get their greedy hands on someone like Harper.

I knew the truth behind all this secrecy, and it was my duty to protect her.

Since it was my duty, it should have made it easier, and yet, each step we took to the place where I wished to share what I was going to do with Harper left my stomach flipping in nervousness while my heartstrings tugged at multiple emotions.

We didn’t speak and Harper didn’t ask any questions. I wanted her to witness this so that when her memories unlocked one day, she’d recall who was supportive and who simply encouraged the idea of us being separated.

I craved to be bluntly honest with her, like I always had, but our world didn’t encourage the truth. The world of savage wolves, selfish leaders, and Alphas who cared more about power and royal blood barely carried a truthful bone in their bodies.

If it honestly wasn’t because of the crown I carried as the only son of Moonshine, I’d be another doormat for them to walk upon.

I always had to be at the top, and that was one of the reasons why this elite school would help a lot. We’d only be taking one to two classes that were “mundane” in nature, but the rest would aid us physically and even magically.

The disadvantage was obviously being away from here. Our time in wolf form within these lands would be just as sacred as our time with Harper. We’d figure out a schedule to adapt to. Maybe one day a week each of us would spend quality time in our wolf forms and end things off with a group run.

Obviously, Harper would be human and have no recollection of who we truly were, but it at least would appease her soul’s craving to belong.

That’s the one thing I fear the most.

Dominant wolves were probably the most lethal to themselves. No one could really predict how long a dormant wolf had before they began to experience negative effects from that internal prison, but I knew between eighteen and twenty would be the age where Harper’s body would begin to be strained from her inability to free Reika.

I have to figure something out by then.

Another reason for this elite school was the number of connections I aimed to create. Not the students, but the professors, instructors, and few alumni that would be present and willing to make alliances were who I was focused on.

To simply put it, I had to play the next couple of years like a smart player in the game of chess, but it required sacrifices, and this was the hardest one Mother Moon could offer me.

The nostalgic effect of the familiar surroundings told me we were almost at our spot, and I couldn’t help but smile just slightly at the brief sight of large rocks with engraved incantations and the scent of flowers.

It could never overpower Harper’s wonderous scent of vanilla, but it always melded so nicely together.

“Carter,” Harper quietly whispered while squeezing my hands lightly.

“We’re almost there,” I assured her, but I felt like she already knew we were almost at our hidden destination.

Only a few more steps and the quiet gasp concluded we were here – in the field of pink flowers.

We walked a bit more until I sensed we were right in the middle.

Slipping my hand from her grasp, I turned to face her, my eyes dipping so I could peer into her marvellously flawless face.

I couldn’t imagine how fast my heart would beat if Harper got any more beautiful. I knew she would because she’d grow and hit puberty when I least expected it. Just envisioning her silky brown strands getting longer, her blue eyes growing more striking, and wondering what captivating aura would dance around her when she already gave off a faint rainbow flame made me wish I could snap my fingers and bring us to the future of my choosing.

Sadly, magic like that was forbidden.

She stood there in wait as I admired her, and the longer the silence lingered between us, the harder it was becoming to tell her that this would be the last she remembered of me until…who knows when.

It stung like throwing alcohol on an open wound.

She didn’t rush me as I took my time to gather the courage I had little of. In front of the others, it was my duty to act tough. To be the true Alpha and leader I could be, regardless of my age. I had to give off a level of strength to empower them to strive for what they wished to become.

If I don’t, who will?

Unlike me, none of them had parents to look up to now. They were all orphans due to various circumstances - some with parents disappearing on assignments while others were slain in cold blood by our enemies. Without me as their Alpha, they had no one else to really look up to.

I had to be their example and prove to them that no matter thick or thin, I’d never give up on them like these fake adults who smiled and cheered us on when we were in the room but laughed and mocked us the moment we stepped out of it.

I knew just how useless they thought we were, and this school being in a different district entirely that couldn’t be easily monitored by any of the Alphas or Elder council would further aid my brewing plan.

Further help me strengthen myself enough that I didn’t need to rely on their rules any longer.

I’d be able to reveal the truth to Harper, protect her like I was destined to do, and then we’d really be able to play on an even field against all those who lurked in the shadows simply out of convenience versus coming out into the light for proper justice.

Everyone’s compliant for the sake of avoiding war against our own, but how long can we continue to dance this dance?

“Are you okay?” I decided to ask the primary question because I really needed to know if she was okay after what occurred before we lost consciousness.

“I’m okay,” she said with a smile, and Mother Moon surely felt the way my heart swelled with pride. I bet she was frightened, scared she was in some sort of trouble or something bad was going to happen because I brought her here.

Brought her to our special place of tranquility she’d forgotten all about.

I didn’t want to linger too long because the inevitable would approach whether I liked it or not and there was no need to beat around the bush.

“You can’t know about us anymore.” I thought my words would be firm with confidence and a hint of warning, but when they reached my ears, they were so soft and filled with vulnerability that I was left in a state of astonishment.

Harper stared at me for a long moment, as if waiting for me to continue.

I couldn’t even begin to try to figure out how to explain to her an ounce of what was going on behind the scenes. Where do you start if not the beginning when the world built around you was a lie to hide the truth of our world?

She was going to open her mouth to try to say something, but she paused and then slowly nodded. “Okay.”

That stunned me and my wolf as we just stared at her like a newly painted wall waiting to dry. Why wasn’t she asking at least twenty questions? Better yet, why wasn’t she asking the primary question: why?

My stunned silence was enough to make her smile just slightly, even though those blue jewels of hers twinkled with a slight sadness in their ocean depths.

“Watching you back there showed me a glimpse of what you all have to deal with when bad things happen and the truth is close to coming out.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat as I fought to keep the emotion rising within me back in its pit. No matter that Harper and I loved to fight and bicker, she was the one person who saw past my anger.

She understood that my emotional outbursts were just a decoy - a funnel to push out my frustrations but not a true representation of who I was.

Some would think it was impossible when she was still so young, but I knew better. She’d proven time and again that age was just a number in her book and her wisdom and knowledge were far higher, or at least enough that she could see past the surface of a situation.

“If you’re saying I can’t know who you guys really are anymore, then it’s probably for the safety of everyone you care about,” she continued with a slight shrug. “Maybe that includes me, right?”

A gust of cold wind passed us, lifting fallen pink petals into the air around us and somehow triggering my emotions in a rush. I reached out and pulled Harper into a hug, and she didn’t hesitate to hug me back, which made me fight my own tears.

All of this was deja vu, and even though I knew within her heart she was hurting with the idea that she’d lose all these years’ worth of experiences, she painted on a mask that it was okay.

That this wasn’t a shattering reality.

“I don’t want to do this…you understand that, right?” My voice was muffled into her long-sleeved pajama shirt, while her scent wrapped around me as if to further comfort my troubled heart.

“I know, Carter,” she whispered. “You know I understand you, even if you try to act like I don’t.”

I wanted to laugh at her comment but it just made me hug her tighter. It hurt to accept that we’d just started to really get along. She was learning about Levi, Damien, Hayden, and Heston. She was getting used to their different qualities and fitting in perfectly into our dynamic, and just like that, it was about to be gone.

We were going back to how it was six years ago.

I pulled back and stared down into her eyes, not feeling a hint of shame as my tears overflowed and fell down my flushed cheeks. My vulnerability made her teary-eyed, and she quietly whispered, “Guess…this is goodbye?”

That just ruined me.

For the first time in a long while, I let myself go and began to sob - my arms wrapping around Harper once more as she hugged me tightly and cried into my shoulder. We cried as if this were our first separation, but sadly it was our second, and deep down she probably felt that but had no explanation for it.

Why was life continuing to throw us into these unfair situations? Why did we have to make all these sacrifices for the future we wished to experience together when those around us did nothing?

When will I be able to change everything so it finally fell in our favor?

We cried until we had no more tears to shed.

“I still get to know your wolves…right?”

“Yes, Harper,” I whispered as I pulled back to see the true face of depression. “You’ll continue to be our Wolf Tamer.”

She bobbed her head and lowered it.

“Guess you should get over with it.”

I should have gone on with it, but she looked so defeated. I couldn’t let us start this unexpected chapter without a glimmer of hope.

What can I do so she knows this won’t be forever?

Another gust of wind swirled around us, lifting more petals and a few green stems into the air. I followed their movement as an idea popped into my mind, and I couldn’t thank Mother Moon enough as the brink of hope blossomed into fruition.

Letting go of Harper, I knelt down and began to pick up multiple stems of the flowers. Harper began to watch me, her sadness morphing into curiosity as she watched me begin to braid and weave the steams together before gathering the petals.

Just when I was about to finish, I looked up and gave Harper a mischievous smile.

“Close your eyes.”

Normally she’d fight me, but this one time, she did exactly what I asked as she closed her eyes. Finishing it, I rose up and took a few calming breaths.

“You can open your eyes now.”

When she did, she stared at my quickly made piece of work, her eyes widening before she leaned in further to look at what sat on the pink platform of petals in my left hand.

“A ring?” she curiously questioned before lifting her gaze to meet mine.

“Ya. A ring,” I replied and watched as she reached out for it.

I watched her pick up the woven ring. I expected her to mock me or try to dismiss how fragile the circular crafted item was because that was typically what most of the girls in this town would do, but Harper never followed the crowd.

She’d always been one of a kind.

Instead of doing what I assumed, she beamed at the crafted trinket before slipping it onto her left ring finger.

“A promise ring!” she cheered.

“Promise rings go on the right finger, silly.” I honestly couldn’t stop myself from teasing her, and she rolled her eyes in retaliation before she lifted her head in pride.

“Well, I’m going to be different and wear it on my left!”

“That means I’m going to marry you, Harper,” I voiced the obvious in hopes she’d finally back down on whatever was brewing, but nope. She wasn’t going to have any of that.

She looked me dead in the eye and grinned.

“Then you better marry me, Carter, or else I’m telling Dolly that you suck.”

I groaned. “You already tell her I suck and that I’m a grumpy asshole when I’m not around.”

“That’s because you are.” She had no shame in her defense and shrugged. “Well, I’ll just tell O’Neil so he’ll beat you up. He can do that even if I don’t remember you.”

I paused in my combative statement to reach for her left hand. My touch was unexpected to her as she watched me slowly lift her hand up until my very lips pressed onto the band.

That’s when the magic happened.

Warmth began to escape from the surface of my lips into the base of Harper’s finger - her gasp and drawled awe in admiration encouraging me to envision what I wished to create with the magic flooding out of me.

Normally, a spell like this was easy, but I wasn’t going for easy. I wanted this piece of magically-created jewelry to carry all these emotions that were ignited at this moment. To be the sealer of these precious memories until we’d shed blood, sweat, and tears to be brought back together.

“Create a band that will be seen as a motivator for the future. One without limitations and where there’ll be nothing but the truth between us and those she loves.”

The flow of magic intensified until the bright light dimmed and revealed a golden ring with hints of pink that almost replicated the petals of the flowers that were now gone from my palms’ grasp.

The ring was beautiful, and what topped off the entire thing was the moonstone right in the middle. We watched in amazement as the colors shifted until it was light pink with hints of red.

“That means you totally loved what I just did,” I concluded and watched the way her cheeks flushed at my comment.

“Shut up!” she huffed but returned to admiring the new jewelry. “It’s so pretty.”

I knew this was the moment where I’d have to commit the deed. My magic was bubbling with pride for making something Harper could keep with her. She may not remember the significance of it, but at least a bit of my energy would be with her.

It made me feel like a part of me would follow her wherever she went, and that was far more comforting than I’d realized.

“Carter the wolf found it for you and you decided to keep it.”

She lifted her gaze to meet my intense one. Her confusion soon faded as her eyes began to droop and get lost in the hypnotic pull of my conjured spell.

“Carter…wolf…Carter found it and gave it to me…I kept it.”

“Yes,” I whispered and leaned in closer. “You only remember the wolves of Sacred Moon Shelter of Endangered Wolves. You remember nothing of our human counterparts. You remember nothing from that fateful day. You know of Wolfie as Ian but that’s all. You remember nothing about O’Neil other than him being a police officer and being like an uncle to you. Everyone around you is human, and your goal is to find out whether you and Reika are a wolf.”

“Yes…” Her eyes fell into a blue void and I watched as her magic began to seep out of her - taking the strings of her memories out of her body and beginning to dive into the very ring around her finger.

“When you awaken, you’ll know you hit your head and have bouts of amnesia but nothing more,” I whispered, and my lips were inches from hers as she began to sway.

With a hooked arm around her, I closed my eyes and let my final set of tears fall as I finished what had to be set in stone.

“Until these very lips of your Alpha lay upon yours, the memories sealed in this place of sacred tranquility will be kept in the safety of this ring so that you, Harper Blake, can live a life within your own power rather than being manipulated by others. I seal this vow…with a true love’s kiss.”

When our lips touched, that wild sensation of desire plunged through me, but I ignored it all as I concluded the spell with the words that would mark it in stone.

Somnum, Amor Meus Aeternus.

My spell was sealed as my lips landed on hers, and I vowed that I’d claim her lips when I was strong enough to face the evil that wished to destroy my pack and those I loved.

One day…I’ll regain everything I deserve. Including you, Harper Blake.

11

FIRST TIME ALONE

FOUR YEARS LATER…

~HARPER~

“I HIT my head one time and four years later I’m still getting penalized for it,” I complained into the phone, knowing Dolly would sigh dramatically over it.

I came to a stop from pacing half the house so I could ensure Dolly heard me with her spotty connection.

“Yes, Dolly. No one is home. I checked the entire property with Muffin. Nope. Sam and Ian aren’t here either. Yup, I confirmed with the other sanctuary up north that they have Carter and the rest of the pack. They’re safe and sound, even if Carter is causing trouble, again. He always causes trouble because those wolves like picking a fight with him and you know he hates being enticed. Damien and Levi are at least there to be the calmer ones and Heston and Hayden are just doing their own thing like rolling in the grass or napping the day away.”

Lifting my left hand to look at the ring on my finger, I admired its detailing while listening to Dolly’s detailed instructions.

“I don’t understand why you’re so distraught, Dolly. I’m sixteen. I know how to stay home by myself. Everything is locked, I left a message for Sam and texted Ian an update but they’re probably asleep with the time difference,” I elaborated. “Dolly, seriously. Stop worrying. I’m fine on my own. It’s pretty chilly tonight, so let me set up the fireplace, take a nice hot shower…hmm…maybe a bath, and I’ll hop into my unicorn robe and watch Netflix like any other teenager.”

Her reply made me snicker as I shook my head.

“No, Dolly. You can’t Netflix and chill by yourself. Who even told you that?” I actually laughed at her reply. “Don’t worry about it. The sanctuaries in crisis are far more important than beach time. It’s not like we can’t go next week or the following. Focus on what’s happening over there. I’ll be fine, really. Alright. See you in a few days. Love you, too. Bye.”

Hanging up, I let out a long sigh before admiring the ring again and bringing it to my lips. Who knew if this thing had magical powers, but whenever I pressed my lips to it, it delivered a wave of calm through me.

It really helped when I needed a moment of peace while my world around me felt like chaos. Running my hand through my long brown locks, I shook my head once more as my eyes scanned the dim living room.

“Unbelievable. She makes it seem like I’ve never lasted alone in this place in my entire life.” I really didn’t understand what the deal was, but maybe she was trying to hide how upset she was for leaving me alone on Christmas Eve?

We didn’t get to finish our lovely girls’ trip this year because of a sudden emergency at the sanctuaries. Dolly was one of the best at aiding the wolves to calm down from what I liked to term “rabid rage” and whatever must have happened had to have affected multiple wolves for them to pay for a jet to come to bring us back from Thailand.

Staring at my tanned skin, I shrugged.

“Guess it’s fine. I was getting far too dark for my complexion. Ian’s going to think I got sunburned like last time and insist on covering me with that sticky sunscreen stuff. Bleh.”

“Meow?”

Lowering my gaze to my feet, there sat Muffin, who looked up at me with her adorable face. Those mismatched eyes always lifted my spirits up, and I couldn’t deny it reminded me of Carter when he’d give me one of his long, staring looks before huffing and being angry for the rest of the evening like he normally did when I didn’t give him what he wanted.

Like a back of the ear scratch when he was being an ass to everyone else in the pack.

“Guess it’s just you and me, Muffin, for the remainder of the year. Chances are, Dolly won’t be back until after New Year’s.” I lifted my hands up to my sides to emphasize the space. “Guess we got the whole place to ourselves! You sticking around?”

Muffin stared at me like I’d lost my mind and without a second to spare, she was out of sight. I was so shocked by it that my jaw dropped, leaving the perfect opportunity for Reika to comment on our sad circumstances.

“Savage.”

Where did you even learn that from? I don’t say that.

“It was on the show you fell asleep watching.”

So you listen to dramas while I sleep?

“I don’t have a choice when you leave them on.”

Oh…

“Ya.”

Crossing my arms over my chest, I looked around the empty living room.

Guess it’s time to warm this place up.

“That would be nice. It’s chilly tonight.”

It didn’t take long to get to the porch and grab some logs of wood. I did some quick tidying, like picking up Ian’s favorite Nikes that O’Neil had purchased a few weeks ago for being a good sport in track.

“Ian always leaves his shoes outside and then when it rains and they get soaked, he complains. You can’t whine about your shoes smelling like the damn swamp monster when you can’t put them away after choosing a different pair to use,” I grumbled to myself but smiled just slightly at the black pair with the checkmark symbol in a teal green with hints of silver sparkle.

Ian and I had been dating for four years now.

That kiss we shared was something we’d kept between us, a bit before I’d accidentally tripped and hit my head on a rock.

I’m so damn clumsy at times.

Regardless of the recovery time and a bit of amnesia I apparently experienced, it was probably one of the happiest moments I could remember. Obviously being adopted and celebrating my birthday was still at the top rank, but it was second and meant a lot to me.

It was funny because people thought we were married because I wore a ring on my finger, but it was something I’d gotten from Carter. The stubborn asshole of a wolf had found it in the woods, and though I wished to find the owner of it, I couldn’t push myself to give it away.

It felt perfect upon my finger and I knew one day I’d eventually have to take it off when I did get married to someone - unless I marry Ian and he lets me keep it on - but for now, I was pleasantly happy with the found trinket.

And when I wasn’t grumpy with Carter and his huffing wolf self, I genuinely did smile at the kind gesture.

It proved that Carter was an Alpha with a big heart, and even with a few rough edges, he didn’t mind showing that he really did care about those of us who took care of him and his pack.

Dolly and Sam had no clue that Ian and I were dating, and it wasn’t like I really mentioned it to the pack of wolves. I knew Carter particularly was overprotective with a dose of a clingy nature, but telling them I was dating Wolfie would be troublesome and Ian didn’t need that stress.

It was tricky to keep our secret safe at times because I’d gotten so accustomed to being around Ian. Vacations were the hardest because I struggled to sleep without snugging something. When Dolly and Sam were home, I cuddled with Wolfie just in case Dolly pulled off a random “check on Harper” round.

I didn’t blame them much because I still sleepwalked from time to time, so they did it to make sure I was still in bed, but it made it tricky for Ian to be in human form.

Let alone do other things.

We’d concluded that telling Sam and Dolly that we were in a relationship would be a bad thing. The only person I was beginning to assume knew of our potential love for one another was O’Neil. He loved to inquire about it whenever I came down to do my kickboxing classes.

He was the reason I even started getting into major shape. Running had always been my strong suit, and it was something I honestly enjoyed, but fighting and self-defense, in particular, were things I wanted to excel in.

O’Neil’s motto was that everyone should know how to protect themselves, especially when we lived in a town where houses were blocks away from one another and on remote areas like our sacred property.

I didn’t keep up with the criminal activity in town or the city like Ian did, especially in the “wolf” department, but I knew Ian really supported the idea of me learning to protect myself so when he wasn’t around, I’d be able to handle a mini brawl.

Another reason for Ian’s rise in protectiveness maybe had something to do with my spike in the attractiveness department. At least, that was the category people were throwing me in at school.

Puberty hit me in the face at the lovely age of fourteen, and I went from 4′11″ to 5′6″ real quick. Add the perfect set of breasts, slightly wide hips, a lovely six-pack, and a “snatched” waist like the guys loved to holler in the halls, and I was the definition of hot.

I never cut my brown hair, so it reached the middle of my back. Dolly always stressed that I should take care of my virgin hair, so I tried using all-natural products, which helped it carry a healthy shine to it. That always got all the girls - even the mean ones - asking me everything from what shampoo I used to the tactics I conducted to keep my hair so flawless.

My style was a bit biker girl. I owned every style of ripped jeans, which I paired with white t-shirts that showed the outline of my bra or, when I was feeling extra adventurous, displayed one of my neon bras. I alternated between my black leather jacket and faded jean jacket.

Wearing “girly” clothes wasn’t really my thing. I’d had my stage of pink fluffy Sailor Moon-themed everything - okay, I still had a few lingerie pieces cause c’mon. Pink lingerie is adorably cute on any body type - but now I wanted to project a style that further empowered me without trying too hard.

Apparently, no one likes a girl that tries too hard to be seen.

With my sweet sixteen came another four inches to my lovely height, and Sam believed I’d probably be 6′0″ by eighteen. I didn’t think I’d get any taller, but who knew? I certainly didn’t look like sixteen but at least I wasn’t the only tall one.

Ian had gotten a huge growth spurt out of nowhere - not once, but twice.

He was now 6′5″ which was pretty tall in comparison to most of the guys in the city. At school, he was one of the tallest. And his sex appeal didn’t stop there.

He hadn’t cut his hair in a while so now it was pretty long. He got the tips dyed so his hair shifted from a mesmerizing teal with slight emerald shimmers to a glimmering silver that matched those alluring eyes of his.

Add in his angular, clean-shaven face, sharp jaw, and smooth skin, and I felt like Ian could be a damn model - he’d already been approached a few times with offers he refused.

Puberty was a blessing to him, and all the girls at school and the ones from the more elite schools outside of town knew who he was. Some of them were certainly fascinated by his soft lips.

They were pink, plump, and smooth like any other, but what they didn’t know was how good it was to kiss them. We may have had years of practice, but with Ian’s growth spurts came a boost of confidence and dominance no one was expecting.

I really wasn’t sure if it was simply a phase, but whatever awakened in his system made him into a steamy good kisser and I was here for it.

His fashion was on point too. Some days he went with a simple jean look that resembled mine with a white t-shirt and fashionable jeans, but when he went to his part-time job, he sported a more professional look, which always held some sort of black combination.

I think Ian enjoyed it when we went out together because that was when we could dress up and match like those couples you’d see on television shows and movies. Apparently, it was a new trend we’d ignited and now all the couples were fighting to get matching outfits from the stores before they were sold out for weeks.

Never thought the two “outcasts” of Moonshine would now be the icons of gossip and fashion.

It wasn’t like either of us had time to worry about all that nonsense though. Ian was working part-time at the police station O’Neil worked at. He assisted with bookkeeping and other report logs, but he was really thriving in the technology department.

Anything computer-wise was becoming his strong point, and O’Neil really wanted him to excel in it because it could assist with tracking criminals faster, especially in our parts where we weren’t as dependent on technology.

He worked evenings, three times a week, and Dolly normally tried to make it so we shared the same days off so we could spend time together whether it was just at home or in town. When Ian worked, I did my duties as Wolf Tamer when the pack was at the sanctuary, but they’d been at the North Sanctuary location for some time now, or at least during “busy” months, so I’d spend my time on myself.

With my kickboxing classes, I was becoming intrigued with Level Two and Three classes with a new instructor that was in town. O’Neil had briefly introduced me to Kira and mentioned that I really wanted to get better at fighting and my overall endurance.

She did special classes for women’s self-defense and said if I stuck it out for most of the various list of classes, she’d happily train me privately. I really didn’t have anything else to do when school was done, so I was down for the challenge.

She looked to be older, but she was one of those women you looked up to because one glance her way and you immediately saw fierceness. Maybe if I learned from her, I’d get into fewer brawls at school.

Don’t get me wrong, I was a good student academically, but when push came to shove, I didn’t hesitate to go on a hair-pulling rampage if someone pissed me off. The last brawl was so bad, Ian had to come and lift me off that crazy bitch, and I held not an ounce of remorse. If I had to spend an extra year or two getting all my credits due to the number of times I’d been forced to miss school out of punishment, I’d certainly do it.

I had to give Ian bonus points since he wasn’t tolerating any of the bullying and said he’d purposely drop out of whatever classes I got bumped out of so we could redo them together.

It was one of the many reasons why it was so easy to love Ian. When it came to me, there was no second-guessing. He was ready to aid me with whatever I needed, defend me from bullshit girls and guys talking smack or picking fights, and he genuinely loved me.

The rumors of us dating were spreading like hotcakes served after Sunday church, but we ignored it on purpose just to heighten the speculation. Everyone hated when you acted as if you couldn’t sense the elephant in the room.

Frankly, it wasn’t any of their business. The adults were somewhat nice to us simply because we were associated with Dolly, Sam, and O’Neil, but I was sure if we were the orphans thrown into the town to be raised by one of these individuals, things would certainly be different.

Our privacy didn’t mean we didn’t hold hands or show some sort of affection from time to time. I’d been holding Ian’s hand since I was adopted so it wasn’t anything new, but at times he’d come from behind and hug me as we waited in line for something or lightly kiss my forehead before he waved goodbye as he entered the police station building that was near to the gym I went to for kickboxing.

Overall, it was nice to finally be growing up and be seen by those who ignored us when we were but children. Ian was the smoking hot boy with the sculpted body from the heavens every woman was talking about, and it was even nicer to see how envious the women were during summertime when they got to see glimpses of Ian’s defined six-pack during the police station’s outdoor training sessions.

I only came just to smile like a crazy person while everyone gave me glares when Ian would come to me in just shorts - dripping in sweat and looking like a fucking swimwear model.

They may think I was a little innocent with a dose of naivety, but Reika and I knew how to play the game. Deep down, we were a jealous duo, and all those bitches who tried to steal our man either enjoyed words with hidden insults or the feel of my fist punching their face when the police officers weren’t looking.

Ya, I’m a protective bitch.

I could admit I wasn’t the only jealous partner in our relationship. Since I had good looks too, it wasn’t hard to stop traffic and get all the boys racing from the shops to try to get my number, especially on the occasions where I wore shorts and a white tank top and put my hair up in a bun.

Apparently, Ian said that made me too hot and I should reserve that look for us.

I respected him enough not to entice all the boys in town, but I did like flaunting my looks sometimes just to trigger his jealousy and immense protectiveness.

We balanced each other out and I thrived on all of it because it made our relationship feel so alive. I knew I lacked because, unlike Ian and Wolfie, I’d yet to figure out how to get Reika to shift, but Ian wasn’t pressuring me in the slightest and I appreciated that about him.

I’d even thought about potentially bonding with him, which was something rather sacred. It was a big deal in the wolf books we’d recently discovered. There was one book that was super detailed with different methods, but neither of us had found the time to review it. We would eventually - maybe in the new year once we could get some spare time together.

With the warmth of the fire spreading through the room, I nodded to myself before heading upstairs. I couldn’t wait to enjoy a nice, hot shower and maybe take some time in the sauna.

Dolly had one of the biggest washrooms I’d ever seen with my own eyes. It was like one of those celebrity ones that could probably fit ten people. It had a large bathtub, a jacuzzi in the far right corner, his and hers shower, and a wooden sauna that could fit two people.

I’d come to the grand conclusion that Dolly was obsessed was long baths, the sauna, and hairspray - she had cupboards full of that stuff.

Having it all to myself was a privilege, and I was happy to take advantage of the prime opportunity.

The mere idea of one of my unicorn bath bombs fizzling into rainbow existence in the massive tub made me giddy with a dose of excitement. It would be a pain in the ass to clean but my skin would be sparkling like a damn goddess.

Unicorns or anything rainbow-themed was mentally associated with happiness in my brain. That was what multiple therapists suggested. The symbolism of anything related to unicorns opened a space in my mind that acknowledged there was more to reality and it was some sort of coping mechanism. I had no complaints there, though I knew now that I was older and wiser that they may not be real.

There’s probably a 1% chance, because c’mon. Wolf shifters are real. Why not unicorns?

I tried to hide my obsession with the magical creatures because it wasn’t “cool” to everyone else, but Ian knew, as did the wolf pack, which was why Damien always stole my unicorn doll and hid it somewhere.

You’d think with how big these wolves were as endangered beasts, you’d hear them walking through the house.

Stripping out of my clothes, I threw them in the hamper and stretched. Today was just one of those long days that I was damn happy was over. The jet lag wasn’t too bad, but I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that I was a tiny bit lonely.

Who spends Christmas Eve all on their own?

It wouldn’t have been a big deal if it was my choice to be alone, but it left a bit of heaviness in my mind at the thought of being alone in this house during a family-orientated holiday.

I just have to be positive.

“I’m here, too,” Reika reminded, and I really needed it. I bet she missed Wolfie’s presence but was trying to be strong on my behalf.

Thanks, Reika.

I grabbed a fresh white towel and wrapped it around my body, plus an extra one for my hair. I gathered my mini basket of shampoo, conditioner, lotion, and other products, but I left out the tampons since those weren’t necessary with my once-in-every-three-month period.

I’d read that eventually female wolf shifters wouldn’t have a period, which would be damn amazing cause what female needed that in their life?

Why are we being charged for these products anyway?

After removing my necklace and placing it in the safe spot, I grabbed my phone just to spam Ian during my bath and headed to the bathroom.

Forty-five minutes went by faster than I expected it to, and though I went on a texting spree to Ian’s phone, I hadn’t heard back from him. It made sense with the time difference. It could have been three in the morning for all I knew. Or maybe Wolfie was out and obviously, he couldn’t answer a text message with his big paws.

I gave him a general description of what went on regarding the emergency at the other sanctuary. I’d only gathered pieces of what potentially could have happened, but I knew hunters were involved and it triggered a few of the wolves there that had barely survived their personal encounters with hunters, which landed them there in the first place.

It baffled me as to why nothing bigger was being done to protect wolves from these hunters. It felt like something the police should be all over, but from my observation over the years, O’Neil was one of the few who took his job seriously. And Ian, as his technical assistant.

Everyone else gave off the donut-in-the-coffee-shop-type vibe, officers who only gave chase on any case that would give them some sort of publication in the news and television outlets.

What made these matters worse in regard to hunted wolves was when the deaths of these innocent animals triggered the Alpha of the pack. It was the hardest for them because they endured the feeling of their packmate dying from whatever took their life, and that was not only difficult to endure but traumatic for the Alpha.

It was complicated to read about it, but it wasn’t hard to imagine the negative long-term effects. Even for me, with so many years that had gone by, I still had a case of PTSD, with occasional nightmares and my tendency to sleepwalk, which some past psychiatrists liked to say was me trying to escape into my dreamland and make it a reality.

Closing my eyes and letting out a long sigh, I sank deeply into the warm bath as I aimlessly enjoyed the fizzling moments of the bath bomb dissolving.

Being alone sucked. I couldn’t stop myself from going back to it. Maybe it was the silence of the room that reminded me of how small and sometimes insignificant I felt in this world. It was like acknowledging the fact I was one burning flame out of millions in this world, and that if my flame suddenly went out, no one else would notice.

The world wouldn’t feel a void of darkness, like how it did when I’d first lost my family. The world would still be illuminated in candlelight.

It was those negative thoughts that made it hard to be alone in my mind, but I tried to combat them with positives. I tried to see that my flame was still important and contributed to the light of our world.

I may not be important in comparison to a celebrity or someone who could change the world with every action they made, but I was someone who contributed to my piece of the pie, and that was what made this world whole with life.

My hand moved to my neck, lightly touching the spot I remembered Ian kissed before he left super early with Sam to their destination vacation.

It was the first time he’d really kissed my neck to the point of leaving a little red mark, and I’d used waterproof foundation to cover it so Dolly wouldn’t notice. Such a simple kiss and yet it made my body grow hot and tingle in all different places.

Just thinking about it made me bite my bottom lip while I could feel his lips brushing along the surface. Even with four years of dating, we hadn’t done the ultimate deed.

A.k.a. sex.

It wasn’t due to the idea of me not being ready, but I guess more because the opportunity was hard to come by. I’d done my share of “research” via incognito mode on the web browser to some quick searches on porn sites to help figure it out.

It was intriguing and a bit stimulating to watch, but it wasn’t like I could practice on some dolls and hope to be a pro by the end of it. I wanted my first time to be with someone I trusted, and for it to be memorable. I was certain it would suck like half the girls at school went on about, especially when the guy didn’t “perform,” but I wasn’t expecting perfection.

I wanted to feel what it was like to be intimate with someone I trusted. To have no regrets about who took my virginity from me. The only thing I felt shy about was the execution of things. Like if I was going to do it with Ian, what was I supposed to do? Let it happen? Ask?

Pin him down and say “Fuck me hard” like in the porn videos? Ya, no. Let’s not do that.

I knew about the whole horny and sexual arousal experience our bodies dealt with when we were attracted to another - whether it be the same or opposite sex. We’d learned all about that in sex-ed, which was why I knew when Ian turned me on.

I didn’t necessarily get horny often - unless Ian randomly walked half-naked around the house during summer or was cutting wood up for the fireplace with sweat dripping down his chiseled body. Better yet, when he wore grey sweat pants during the winter time and forgot I was doing laundry so there he was, half-naked with his Ronald McDonald pressing against that cozy material like it was stopping it from committing a very sexual crime. All that did was make my pussy clench and thrum like a heated drum in hopes that he’d smell my arousal and just pick me up and go straight to the bedroom.

Okay, never mind. I was horny often thanks to all those damn porn videos.

It wasn’t like I didn’t know how to please myself, having taken notes and practiced the art of masturbation. I was tempted to do it now more than ever, but I felt a little depressed at the idea of fingering myself in the midst of a snowstorm in an empty house while wishing my boyfriend was sharing this bath with me.

Calming myself with a few inhales and exhales, I decided it was best to get out of the bath before I really went back on the whole masturbation movement and get my butt into the sauna.

Fifteen minutes and I was back in the chilly bathroom. The cold air felt good after the intense heat of the sauna, and now I felt more rejuvenated as I took my towel off and hung it on one of the hooks so I could inspect my naked body.

The recent training was really making a difference in my shape. I had more definition, my abs were solid, and now my booty was really getting a lift with an those 100-Day Booty Challenges.

“I should get a tattoo,” I muttered to myself as I pondered where I’d place it. I’d always wanted one, especially when I learned that Ian hoped to get some on various parts of his body. Tattoos were totally hot, and I was excited to get one eventually. Somewhere daring or a place where it peeked out in a sexy way when I wore shorts or a bikini.

Tugging the towel out of my damp strands, I whipped them out so they could begin the air-drying process since there wasn’t much of a need to blow dry my hair.

With the idea of a sexy tattoo simmering in my mind, I began to put vanilla chai spice lotion on my body - lifting one leg up on the luxurious-looking stool Dolly had bought during one of our vacations to decorate this massive room of white marble.

As I rubbed the lotion with golden sparkles along my leg, the creak of the door caught my attention, but I didn’t bother raising my head up.

“Muffin, you really have to stop coming in the washroom when I’m here,” I noted.

Waiting for her meowing response, I decided to lift my head up – and my eyes locked onto a pair of silver orbs.

Silver spheres that were bathed with intense hunger as they stared back at me with sizzling passion.

My body froze, which made the bottle in my left hand slip and fall to the floor. The sound it ignited did nothing to break our frozen shock as it echoed around us. My breath hitched while my body was already tingling with spiked lust.

My brain had the slowest reaction because it took me an added few seconds to realize who I was staring at.

Ian?

12

HEATED PASSION BETWEEN LOVERS

I didn’t know what I was more transfixed on: how fast my heart was racing against my chest or the chiseled, bare chest dripping of water droplets.

From how my pussy is fluttering in excitement, I’m all about his glimmering, muscled chest.

My gaze took its sweet time traversing down his ripped body, emphasizing just how good-looking Ian was. He looked extra good tonight for some odd reason, and there had to be something in the air to make him so scrumptious.

Good like a strawberry sundae with chocolate syrup.

From his pecs to his abs, and oh Goddess of the Moon. His towel was far too low - enough to see those sinful V-lines of his lower muscles. I’d seen them in movies, but to see them live in person was a sight worth viewing and left me scorching hot in desire.

It was impossible to ignore the tingling sensation and pulsing heat between my legs, before the obvious hardness of my nipples. Was it even possible to be this turned on after appreciating that masculine work of art?

I really didn’t think my observation was the topping on the cake when it came to why I was so aroused - far from it. What was really leaving me in this stunned state of bliss was the way Ian took my figure in.

There wasn’t even a slight hint of hesitation as he took in every inch of me. Those spheres of silver projected nothing but hunger as he made sure to take his time enjoying the naked view before him. It was like I’d become his favorite snack, and the mere idea had me wondering if he’d eat me up like in those porn videos.

What was it even like to have a man’s mouth on your pussy folds and licking you senseless? I didn’t think it mattered as long as my Ian Chestwood was the one to do the dirty deed.

His tongue glided along his bottom lip while his chest moved up and down as if he struggled for breath. I guess I didn’t blame him with the thick atmosphere of steam from the sauna, before whatever intense emotions were sizzling through the air.

My heart was on a galloping ride and maybe that was contributing to the rush of blood heading to my brain and making me feel lightheaded.

Our prolonged silence came to an end as Ian blinked a few times to get himself out of his state of astonishment. It took a few added seconds before his face began to turn beet red while he couldn’t help but take one more up-and-down look at my naked frame.

“H…Harper?” He sounded so out of breath and his voice was but a whisper.

“Ian,” I whispered, my voice holding a bit of a tremble. My nerves were playing anxious games with me, encouraging the spinning of the room while the tension between us and overall spike of emotions roaming through my body left me uncertain as to whether I’d stay conscious long enough to see this to the end.

Ian’s eyes flashed with concern before it was my turn to blink a few times while realizing I was now in Ian’s grasp and mere inches from the marble floor.

Oh shit.

“Breathe for a second, Harper,” Ian encouraged with immense worry. I didn’t blame him because, despite the unexpected confrontation, we were in the middle of a snowstorm and if I passed right out, there was no way of getting help to us.

I followed his encouragement as I took a few deep inhales and let them out slowly, all while his free hand stroked through my locks in an attempt to further comfort me. It took a moment for the spinning merry-go-round to subside and for my senses to find some sort of balance that didn’t have me tipping over the spiraling edge.

“Well,” I began and took another inhale then let it out. “That’s embarrassing.”

I closed my eyes to further calm down, though I wished this moment could be thrown under the rug and never replayed in my memory banks ever again.

Seriously, though. How embarrassing is it for your boyfriend to walk in on you naked, midway through putting on lotion, and after a full minute of you idolizing his body carved by the sex gods, you almost pass out and have to lie in his arms like a princess in distress? Goodness, this makes me feel like I’m in one of those Korean dramas.

“At least it wasn’t in slow motion,” Reika offered. “Moments like what just happened are always in slow motion to emphasize the dramatics of it. Unrealistic, but it’s kind of cool when they replay it at the beginning of a new episode.”

Seriously?

“What? Trying to help you forget this embarrassing moment,” Reika reasoned with no remorse. “You’re welcome.”

It was far too tempting to reply, but I decided to zone her out instead - not like I had much of a choice because a second later I was stopping myself from shrieking as my body was lifted in one graceful movement.

The way my body grew rigid at the feel of my right breast pressing against the flesh of Ian’s chest made me feel self-conscious as I once again was reminded that I was half-lotioned and butt naked in his arms.

It wasn’t like he had any complaints as he kept silent and began to carry me out of the steaming hot washroom and straight to my bedroom like it was no big deal. I was a bit thankful to my past self for leaving the door open, which wasn’t a usual habit of mine but sure benefitted us.

After we entered, Ian used his foot to close the door before striding over to my bed. Lowering me to the soft surface of the mattress, he didn’t delay in walking over to my closet and grabbing my unicorn robe from the hook on the front of the oak wood closet door.

Placing the fuzzy robe on my shoulders, he adjusted it to make sure it draped over my naked body, covering the essentials, before he knelt down before me. I couldn’t help but take a peek to ensure his towel still remained around his waist - a bit horny of me but I bet Mother Moon knew how turned on I was at the idea of seeing Ian naked.

My eyes came to a close when his hand lightly grazed my cheek and moved a few of my damp brown strands from my face to behind my ear. His touch alone did so many things to me, I wasn’t sure I could handle this level of sensitivity.

“You okay, Harper?” Ian’s voice was so tender yet filled with immense worry.

“Ah, yes. Sorry. Ugh…I think I spent way too long in the bath and then adding fifteen minutes in the sauna must be why I felt so light-headed a moment ago,” I summed up in hopes it was a good enough excuse.

I was trying to avoid his intense gaze, but I could see him nod in understanding.

“I should get you some water,” he encouraged and tried to leave, but my hand reached out for his, stopping him from moving away from me. Internally, I was worried he’d just go off somewhere and I’d be alone again. I didn’t want that happening, even if it was rather unrealistic at this point.

“Ian,” I breathed. “Why are you here? I mean…you’re not supposed to be here at Sacred Moon, or basically in BC at all. Weren’t you visiting another sanctuary to see how they did things in foreign countries versus over here in Canada?”

“Plans changed,” Ian admitted. “Sam sent me on a flight home due to a sudden emergency. He said you wouldn’t be here so when I got back, I took a nap to tackle the jet lag and once I woke up, I just popped into the shower. I only came into the big washroom to borrow the hairdryer. I didn’t even think…well…” He trailed off as his face tinted red once more. “I didn’t know you were home. I would have never invaded your privacy like that. Sorry,” he solemnly apologized as his gaze met mine.

I could see in his eyes that he was remorseful, but I could also see that lingering hunger trying to reach the surface. His breathing was still off, just like mine, while there was something sizzling between us that was begging to be acknowledged and relieved.

Something that begged to unify us, but I couldn’t quite define what exactly that was.

“It’s fine,” I assured him. We really didn’t have anything to say as the room fell into an odd silence. “Um…Ian?”

“Ya?” He was trying to avoid my gaze now that the apology was over. It was like he couldn’t decide what he wanted - to gaze into my eyes or look away for the better sake of our sanity. As turned on as I was, my curiosity got the better of me as I began to worry about whether I’d overstepped some sort of boundary I knew nothing about.

Is it against the wolf laws to see a woman naked or something?

“Did I do something wrong?” I had to ask the primary question to ease my internal worries.

He shook his head quickly to emphasize how wrong I was before answering, “It’s not that, Harper. I mean…like…it’s not necessarily you.”

“I don’t get it,” I confessed. “What do you mean? Like…I wasn’t expecting to be caught naked in the bathroom. Well, it is my designated bathroom.”

Ian and Sam used the other bathroom on the other side of the house and the upstairs one was used if we needed to get ready for the day or quickly use it. Dolly and I shared this one and it had always been that way once I’d gotten older.

“No…that’s not, ugh,” he groaned and gave in to meeting my conflicted gaze. There it was, that intense energy that spiked the moment our eyes locked onto one another. There weren’t enough words in the dictionary to truly describe this odd, foreign, and addicting sensation that tugged on all my senses and begged to be fulfilled.

It rushed through my body like a wave, making me forget to think, let alone breathe. The tension and radiating heat pulsing between us were insane, and I didn’t know if this was a common reaction when two people obsessively loved one another.

The urge to simply push off the bed and jump Ian was riding up my damn senses, and it was my shyness and remaining cells of logic in my horny brain that were stopping me from doing exactly that.

“Fuck,” Ian cursed under his breath. “I can’t think straight right now,” he softly confessed as his eyes maneuvered down to my lips. Goodness, I had to be thirsty because the lump in my throat was a mission to be swallowed down, making me wish I’d taken him up on his offer to get me water.

I could tell thinking straight or even logically at this rate was becoming more impossible by the second - the intensity around us was just too much to keep playing this tune of brewing ecstasy.

One of us is going to cave…

Ian cursed under his breath before he lost the internal battle - his lips smashing against mine in one rushed movement. The sound that rumbled against the walls of my throat was pure approval as my body reacted instantly to the captivating kiss.

My eyes fluttered closed as I pressed my lips back, the two of us experiencing the pulsing anticipation this single kiss was fluttering between us. Being able to kiss him back without thinking of whether I was doing it right or wrong was fulfilling in those heightened states.

I normally would have forced myself to try to think this through, but my brain couldn’t possibly focus on logical calculations and conclusions. All I cared about was kissing this man I’d come to love and cherish, and the deeper part of me wanted more.

So much more.

My lungs burned for oxygen as our union extended on and on. Neither of us wanted to stop, and even with the boiling sting of our lungs begging for of oxygen, we kissed until we were left gasping for breath.

We were panting for air while our eyes got lost in one another’s heated gazes, while my lips tingled from the sensational connection, leaving me wondering if he felt the same as me.

“Wow,” I panted, fighting the urge to seal the tiny distance between us and kiss him all over again.

Let my hands roam all over his body, claiming every inch of him with my touch as our lips danced to their own tune of seduction.

“I see why…we’re always apart…during the holidays,” Ian breathed while clearly attempting to calm himself down from his brief high. His words intrigued me as I arched an eyebrow in return.

“There’s a logical reason for us being…well…like this?” The question was the perfect distraction for my fogged-up mind that was thinking of all the crazy - naughty - things I could do with Ian if I just let myself go.

Ian was trying to distract himself from whatever he wished to do as he bit his bottom lip for a moment to think properly.

“Every December, female wolves go into something called Heat.”

I’d heard of the term before, but I’d always skipped that in the books thinking they were referring to the temperature or the summer months.

“Heat?” I repeated in question. “Like…is that the reason it’s super hot in here, or is that just me?”

I was really going the extra mile to do anything to distract us from falling into the craving need to kiss one another again. Our closeness was intoxicating, so I fought to remain absolutely still, but it was so damn hard to not fall into that taunting cinnamon scent of his and lean in just a little bit to enjoy its aroma.

Or get another taste of Ian and hope I’d get to enjoy his taste all night long.

Ian ran his hand through his teal to silver strands before he looked at me.

“Yes, kinda. It’s sometimes dependent on the female wolf, but generally, the majority of female wolf shifters go into Heat in December or the start of the winter months. You go into heat in December, which is why Dolly and Sam always try to force us to go on vacation for the entire month,” Ian explained. “From your perspective, when you’re near a male wolf shifter, you can sometimes get light-headed or your body feels like it’s on fire from the inside out. The spike of internal temperature particularly happens when you’re close to someone you’re personally attracted to or essentially are in love with.”

His words ignited the flood of heat to my cheeks, making me blush while I lowered my gaze to my lap. I’d come to a conclusion internally that I did love Ian, but I was still a bit embarrassed to admit it out loud. I guessed because we weren’t very used to expressing that specific emotion because our relationship was a secret, so it made me feel like we were saying something forbidden.

No wonder why every December Dolly insists we go on vacation. Maybe that’s another reason why the wolf pack is always taken to different sanctuaries or is super busy during the winter months. Sam always says it’s because wolves love to hibernate more, but that’s probably bullshit.

“What happens to you?” I couldn’t help but ask.

“Well,” he began but paused. “We get really horny?” That was rather obvious though I wondered if he was hard beneath that towel of his. “I mean, that’s how I feel in this moment.”

His whole face was red, even his ears, as he shyly looked at me and whispered, “Or it could be because you’re so fucking beautiful naked.”

I blushed while he ruffled his hair nervously but carried on.

“It motivates male wolf shifters who have a strong relationship to the female wolf shifter to mate her. I guess it’s more intense when they have feelings for one another versus strangers, but it generally affects all males around you. When you’re mated, the pull is less intense, but since you’re not it’s over the top. Think of it like you’re a succubus or something and your mere presence makes all the males fucking crazy with the need to well…” He paused and swallowed. “Fuck you.”

“Oh.” What more could I really say?

“That’s why we can’t be around each other since I just…lose my ability to think straight and I just struggle with remaining in control.”

“So…what happens if we…you know?” I wasn’t bold enough to be blunt about what I wanted to ask, but he clearly understood what I was inching towards. It wasn’t my fault the idea of fucking Ian Chestwood, my very sexy boyfriend, was an appealing deal I really didn’t want to screw up.

“I don’t know,” he confessed. “It’s not like I’ve done it with anyone.”

My brain literally paused on whatever thinking track it was on, the silence in the room deafening as his words registered in my brain.

“What?” My voice was barely audible. “You…waited?”

This was a big deal because I never expected Ian to wait in the sex department. He was eighteen after all, and girls practically had thrown themselves at him the moment puberty made him go from “nerd to hottie of the town” - or that’s what all the girls labeled his transformation as.

“We’re dating, remember?”

“I know,” I replied but was still reeling over the fact that he actually waited. Yes, we’d been dating, but maybe I assumed he would have already done it before then or something. There were plenty of people in our town that lost their V-cards at twelve and thirteen.

With how often the students at school talked about sex and everything revolving around it, I always assumed it was considered popular to have experienced sex a few times, while you were the oddball if you were still a virgin.

“I guess because you’re so popular, Ian, I assumed girls would be begging you left and right. You could get anyone honestly, and experience what all the guys and girls rave about at school. I’ve always been a bit shy about the whole topic…I guess because I wasn’t ready to do it unless I really got the chance to say how much I love you.”

Clearly, I’d let that cat out of the bag, but it felt right compared to all the previous times I’d wished to reveal the truthful words that begged for freedom from my heart. Giving him a small, appreciative smile, I whispered, “I still never expected you to actually wait for me.”

Ian’s eyes softened with a hint of glimmer that reminded me of liquid metal that only heightened the genuine smile that graced his handsome features. His hand cupped my left cheek, and I enjoyed the moment as I closed my eyes and enjoyed the tingling warmth his hand ignited like tiny fireworks of affection.

Opening my eyes slowly, I stared into his while he expressed the truth.

“When I discovered you in the forest that night eleven years ago… my heart kind of stopped. It wasn’t simply because of the circumstances you were in, but the mere sight of you made me feel emotions I didn’t think were possible for me and Wolfie to experience at that age. It was so strange and yet so mesmerizing to see immense beauty in a moment of peril, but you took my breath away. Your gorgeous eyes that sometimes flicker between teal and cyan blue haunted me in my dreams, and I couldn’t even think of you not being in my life. I honestly never expected that I’d get the privilege to date you. There were just so many other factors and well…I’m one to believe I’m not very deserving of anything that glitters like a rare diamond amongst a field of coal. To me, you’re like an unattainable pearl, but you allowed me the chance to cherish you and I’ve never felt so…accomplished for that.”

He paused just to further smile as he closed his eyes for a moment.

“I had a crush on you for so long, and I always assumed someone better would be in your life and sweep you away. I lack in so many areas, and well…I wanted you to have the best, but then there’s a part of me that never wanted to let you go. Whenever guys tried to hit on you, it just made me jealous because I want to be your first in so many aspects. First to kiss you, to hug you intimately, first to listen to your breathy moans and experience the heightened wave of pleasure together.”

His eyes opened once more, and the raw emotion swirling in those metallic spheres was breathtaking.

“I want you so bad, Harper. To take this…the whole way. I know we still have years to grow and really understand each other, but our Moon in the sky knows how hard I’d fight to keep this. To ensure this relationship is solid and nothing tries to destroy it. Even if there’s a slight possibility that others may enter this relationship, I never would abandon you. I can confidently vow that I’d do anything to remain by your side.”

There was that tugging desire to kiss him, and he didn’t dare let it pass as he closed the distance to capture my lips once more. This kiss was more demanding than the others and I prolonged it a bit more than the last time as I kissed him back.

We got so lost in the intense craving that I didn’t realize I was lying back on the bed with him above me until we were breaking the kiss to breathe heavily while our eyes searched each other’s in hopes we’d really understand why it was so easy to get lost in one another’s touch.

This Heat phase was indeed involved, but it only confirmed just how much we loved one another.

Reaching out with my left hand, I allowed my hand to glide through his silky tresses before placing my hand against his cheek and stroking it lightly with my thumb.

“I want this,” I whispered and kissed him. “I want more.”

He knew exactly what I meant, and I could see it in his eyes as they flooded with desire. Another intense kiss left us panting like dogs, while my body was yearning for his touch.

To feel his large hands along my heated flesh and those soft lips of his leaving kisses and hickeys all over me.

“Harper…” His voice was so tender. “Are you sure? It’s…gonna hurt.”

I couldn’t help but smirk while I exaggeratedly rolled my eyes. “I know that, silly. We learned all of that in sex education, but I’m confident you weren’t paying attention because your ass was sleeping in class.”

His lips pouted while he muttered, “I did my own research. No need for some silly teacher to try to explain all those part names that have nothing to do with the act of sex.”

I laughed. “Watching porn and masturbating isn’t going to help you pass the written test, silly.” I giggled and watched his face flare with warmth.

“Ya…well…I have to learn how to please you, dammit. Besides, it’s not my fault I masturbate. Do you know how hard it is to not get horny when you’re so damn hot? Especially when you wear short-shorts with those white fitted tops…or even when you tried on that bikini last week…fuck, that was evil.”

I blushed while trying to tame my giggles.

“Is that why you excused yourself when I was done trying out that neon pink bikini?” I couldn’t help but ask before leaning in enough for our lips to brush as I whispered, “To masturbate?”

He met my intrigued gaze before he bit his bottom lip and admired my lips up close.

“Ya,” he finally admitted and didn’t let me ask anything else as he kissed me once more. This time, I let him be in control of the heated kiss, his lips moving, pressing firmly against mine, before he groaned and further deepened the kiss.

That rumble of desire lit my body up, turning me on in all the right places as I moved to slide my arms around his neck and pull him down for us to make out for what felt like forever.

It was like neither of us could stop kissing the other, and I loved every bit of it. Catching our breath once more, Ian tugged me up in a sitting position, which made the robe open up further and show him a middle glimpse of my naked body.

The way he admired me only encouraged a taunting smirk to grace my lips before I reached out to trail my thumb along his bottom lip.

“I can help you with that,” I whispered, referring to his need to masturbate when he was so turned on. The moment we broke through this barrier, neither of us would have to masturbate to satisfy our craving for the other.

We could please each other like in those shows, and when privacy is on our side, we could have sex.

“Do you have a condom?”

Ian smirked devilishly in return, and after one more dominating kiss, he got off the bed to walk over to the nightstand. I didn’t even know he’d kept some in my room, but this wasn’t the time to ask questions as I rose up and let the robe fall from my body.

My eyes admired Ian’s back, my body going crazy over the sight of his almost naked body. I wondered if he sensed my intense gaze, because he tugged on the white towel, loosening it entirely.

I was impressed it had stayed hugging his hips for this long, but that tiny flicker of force left it dropping to the ground, and goodness, I was completely captivated by what a sculpted masterpiece Ian Chestwood was.

He was seriously created to be a sculpted piece of perfection.

I’d never really told him how much I loved his ass. It was firm with muscle and held a roundness to it but seeing it bare was making it hard to not drool. My pussy was quivering and growing wet in heated impatience, and maybe I was breathing a little too heavily.

He opened the drawer and reached far back to pull out a condom. The confirmed sight and overall acknowledgment that he was prepared for something like this further excited me.

When he turned back around, my eyes couldn’t ignore his wonderous length. I kid you not, I could have fainted out of utter happiness.

There was always a part of me that knew Ian had basically acquired the whole package of sexiness, but that length surely was longer than six inches - I won’t deny my photographic memory and the sight of my ruler when we talked about penis length in sex-ed.

Seeing it in real life versus the various videos of different lengths and pictures from online was rather refreshing and a bit intriguing. The veiny appearance told me he was hard while I noticed a bit of clear liquid at the tip of his length.

I was beginning to wonder how the hell it was gonna fit in me. I was obviously a virgin, so would my walls just stretch and take all of that in so easily? It was a tad scary, but goodness was it also thrilling.

I must have lost track of how long I’d been staring - and attempting to calculate how that long thing was gonna fit in me - because I caught onto Ian’s tiny smile before he moved to stand before me in his naked glory.

“Are you mentally questioning if I’ll fit?”

“N-No,” I huffed and tried to look away, but his hands grasped my cheeks and he kissed me lightly on the lips.

“Uh huh,” he muttered and kissed me again.

“You’re so fucking hot,” I practically moaned and licked my lips as if to make sure they didn’t dry up with how thirsty I was - and it wasn’t for water.

“You know I like it when you compliment me,” he admitted as his smile widened further and his hands trailed down my body before resting on my hips. “It really turns me on.”

“Really?” I purred. “I should do it more often.”

“No,” he replied with a low chuckle, pulling me close enough for our bodies to press together. I swore we both shivered at the electric shocks that coursed through us, but Ian managed to continue, “If you did that, we’d have to find a bunch of secret places that are soundproof so I can enjoy every bit of you myself.”

That looming gaze of darkness held a predatory sensation to it, as if he were prowling in the forest and was ready to pounce on me in one smooth movement. It amazed me how easy it was for him to show just how much I affected him.

His open honesty with his emotions was something I never thought I’d need to heighten a relationship, but moments like these were beginning to let me see that I craved this level of intimacy.

To be able to be open with our emotions for one another but not be too serious to make these moments of vulnerability frightening.

“That doesn’t sound too bad,” I voiced, causing him to chuckle before he leaned right in to press his lips against the side of my neck. I didn’t expect the pinch of pain that came from his teeth as he bit a specific spot, but with the gasp of pain came a rush of pleasure that left me moaning and leaning my head further back as if to encourage him to continue.

His touch was sensational while the kisses and light sucks of my flesh were making me shiver in need. I let my eyes close and my voice carried on quietly moaning as I got lost in his kissing movement.

Those enticing lips trailed down my body, from my neck to shoulders, chest to breasts. I wasn’t expecting him to suck at my nipples that were hard and sensitive, but he did that and more as he flicked each of them with his tongue before taking his time to trail along my nipple and suck it into his mouth.

It made my breath hitch and moans leave me as prickling waves of bliss trickled through me. Experiencing this for the first time was overwhelming and I was so fascinated with Ian’s dominance.

I knew part of him wanted to devour me right there and then, and yet he took his time to admire my body like it was a temple that deserved to be worshipped, and he was doing a damn good job of delivering exactly that and more.

When he was done with my breasts, he moved down my abs. I wasn’t sure what he was going to do next, but he paused and rose back up before he lightly pushed me back to fall onto the bed.

I couldn’t help giggling at the hint of playfulness in his expression while he licked his lips and admired my body once again with those eyes of hunger, all while his cock was twitching in impatience.

I couldn’t blame his rod because the sight was making my pussy further quiver in anticipation, but Ian wasn’t ready to start the steamy shenanigans yet as he went on his knees.

I arched an eyebrow at him as he reached out to lift my legs and slid me closer to him so that my legs were spread wide and giving him the perfect view of my glistening, wet pussy.

I swallowed and watched the way his silver orbs darkened with immense lust, and he licked his lips yet again like he was ready to feast on me.

“How I’ve dreamed of this moment again and again,” he quietly admitted, his hot breath tickling the surface of my folds.

My face had to be crimson red and though my voice portrayed my shyness, I couldn’t help but ask, “Really?”

“Yes, Harper,” he whispered and met my gaze. “You’re so beautiful.”

He didn’t wait any longer as he inched further in and lightly licked my folds. The way I shivered at the foreign touch only motivated Ian as he smirked. This was clearly dangerous, and the building anticipation was going to drive me fucking mad.

What was leaving me rather speechless was his immense confidence. This was his first time, and yet he projected this level of poise that made me both comfortable and hopeful for what was to come.

“How are you so confident when you haven’t done this before?” I couldn’t stop myself from asking cause it would just nudge my mind and distract me from this experience.

“Watching porn, remember?” He didn’t seem as embarrassed admitting it this time. “Just had to take mental notes on how I could please my Harper.”

My Harper…goodness…this man is gonna be the death of me.

Not a moment later did his tongue dip between my folds to enjoy the taste of my gathered arousal. I couldn’t stop myself fast enough from moaning while my body involuntarily tried to squirm away.

Ian had clearly predicted it because those strong hands of his held me down as he paused to whisper, “Keep moaning like that, baby.”

How could I even deny him as he further pressed down on my inner thighs before diving deeper between my legs so he could slip his tongue inside?

My head fell back, and I moaned loud and clear, hoping it would encourage him to continue. He certainly did that and more as his tongue stimulated waves of tingling and a build-up of pleasure with each stroke, lick, and flick against my pussy.

I was a breathless mess when he paused to pull back just as I lifted my head enough to watch him lick my juices from the outer lines of his lips.

“You’re so delicious, Harper.” There was that deep husky voice of his that was like music to my ears, and I knew this man was going to be the end of me.

With a sloppy lick of his tongue, he lightly kissed my entrance before he let go of one of my thighs just to begin teasing me with a single finger.

“I need you to be nice and wet for me, Harper,” he reasoned. Sliding one finger in first, he moved it back and forth gently, loosening me up while he monitored my reaction.

It was one thing when you used your own fingers to fuck yourself, but how pleasantly different it was to be the finger of another person. His long finger worked me slowly, moving in and out before moving in a circle motion to further arouse me.

“Ian,” I whimpered and watched how the sound of his name escaping my slightly parted lips pleased him tremendously. The smirk displayed on his lips proved my assumption.

He knew I was more than ready for a second finger, and I was left in a state of moaning wonderland as he moved at the perfect pace as he spread me further out. I was lost in the spiraling pleasure that was beginning to rise into something greater - stronger. The growing stimulation was contributing to my swift inhales and exhales and I couldn’t help but beg him to continue further.

“More, Ian.”

Masturbating on my own was nothing in comparison to this outstanding performance of pleasure, and I was approaching my orgasm far faster than if I was doing it on my own.

Ian sensed my approaching release, feeling the way my walls fluttered around his fingers as they squeezed them lightly. He took it all in and began to move his fingers faster at my prompt command, and I was bathed in waves of pleasure as I came.

“Ah!” I grew rigid as my climax hit me strongly, and I was left to catch my breath while my head sank back into the sheets as I tried to calm down.

Oh fuck, that was good.

Ian’s fingers were still deep inside me, enjoying the shudders of my pussy walls as my body trembled with the tiny waves of lingering pleasure that pulsed through me. Gathering enough strength to lift my head, I caught onto Ian’s pleased grin as he slowly pulled his fingers out.

I watched him suck them dry, and I’d be lying if I denied that I wasn’t turned on all over again by the mere action that surely played in slow motion.

He rose up then and climbed onto the bed just to hover over me and kiss me passionately. It was like being rewarded after a good performance, and it felt so intimate with our heightened emotions.

He broke the kiss and I couldn’t help but lean up to tug his bottom lip with my teeth and kiss him very gently. It wanted him to realize just how amazing that was and show him a bit of my immense gratification.

I wasn’t as good at kissing as he was, but he clearly enjoyed my move because he kissed me again before his tongue slipped its way into my mouth to keep my tongue occupied.

“Let’s move you, baby,” he encouraged and lightly kissed my neck that was already marked with various hickeys.

He encouraged me to move so my head now rested on my set of pillows near the headboard while he was now between my legs, sitting on his knees.

I watched with great interest as he grabbed the condom he’d found earlier and ripped it open with his teeth. I couldn’t even stop myself from biting my lip to help me from gawking entirely.

That’s so hot.

He slid the condom on with ease and wrapped his hand around his length that looked even bigger than before. Inching closer to me, the tip of his manhood teased my opening and I tried to prepare for what was to come.

I didn’t know what I really could do, which made me a bit nervous as my body grew a bit tense. This was the moment I’d dreamed of and it was finally coming true after all this time of dating Ian.

He paused as his eyes met mine, waiting for me to voice any doubts. I knew I wouldn’t have any regrets, but my anxiety may have shown in my eyes because he leaned in suddenly until his lips were pressing against mine in a slow but toe-curling kiss.

“Relax, Harper,” he encouraged with that deep voice of his. My body wouldn’t dare disobey as the tension fled. “I’ll move at your pace, alright? If you need me to stop at any time, just say the word and I’ll stop. Do you understand?”

The fact that he was trying his best to make sure I expressed myself made me teary-eyed.

“I understand,” I whispered, and we shared another tender kiss.

“You know I really do love you, Harper Blake,” he quietly admitted with his appreciative silver eyes. “I need you to know how much I care for you, and that I’m thankful that you saved this moment for me.”

“I love you, too, Ian,” I couldn’t help but respond as I fought the urge to really cry. “I’ll never regret you being my first.”

I meant those words with my very soul because this moment felt so right. I’d always wanted to share this intimate moment with someone who not only loved me but was willing to acknowledge my worries and ease things so this experience wasn’t so frightening.

Ian did all of that and more, and I couldn’t see myself sharing this sacred moment with anyone else.

With our exchanged words, he began to slide inside me, hitting resistance after a few seconds. He looked at me with caution and I gave him a brave nod of encouragement so he could proceed.

I winced at the sudden prick of pain, and as much as I wanted to hide my discomfort, I knew it showed immediately. Ian stalled and leaned in further to kiss me softly.

“You okay?”

“Mhmm,” I replied and kissed him back before pressing my forehead against his. “Just a minute.” He let me breathe it out until I felt adjusted enough for him to continue. The pain was intense, but I’d expected that and knew once he began to move, it would dim.

“You can continue.”

He inched himself in a little more, and I whimpered but didn’t want him to back down. He must have sensed it, but he still waited a few more seconds, giving me the chance to adjust further before he inched the reminder of himself inside me.

We took a moment to breathe, and he whispered a soft apology in between passionate kisses that helped take my attention away from the pain. It was helping a lot, and I knew I could handle him moving now.

“You can move now Ian. I think I’m ready.”

“Okay,” he replied against my lips and pulled back enough to meet my eyes. “But if you need me to stop, just say so and I’ll pull out.”

He made me smile as I slightly nodded my head. “Alright,” I reassured him. His thoughtfulness was everything, especially because he continued to stress my comfort instead of his desire for pleasure.

I could feel the way his cock was twitching, and a prickle of excitement bubbled inside me as he began to move as gently as he could.

Slowly thrusting his hips, he moved at a steady in-and-out rhythm, the motion building up to be something I really wasn’t expecting.

Holy shit.

The shift from pain to pleasure was like a 180-degree turn, and I was moaning loud and clear as my body further relaxed to enjoy this ride.

“Ian…ah. So good,” I gasped with a shaky breath as I watched his pleased expression. He kept going at the comforting rhythm until I was confident enough to move my own hips to meet his motions.

He took the opportunity to kiss me until I was pinned beneath him while my hands were in his and pressed against the pillows at my sides. Being pinned and fucked was astonishingly pleasurable, and when he began to increase his pace, I moaned into his mouth, hoping he’d continue doing that.

This moment in time was everything to me.

Every thrust brought waves of heated pleasure between us, and it came with this sensation of understanding thrumming through us. It was as if I could feel his energy, emotions, a common ground of love and admiration for one another.

I belonged to him, just like he belonged to me - two equals destined to be one. He pulled back to admire me as he began to further hasten his thrusts, and I watched the glittering illumination in his silver eyes that were twinkling with hints of gold.

I pondered if my eyes were doing something similar, the glint of power rather fascinating to watch though it didn’t take long for my body to tune back into the building pleasure coursing through us from our cores and rising to reach a peak of freedom.

“Harper,” he moaned as he picked up the pace, and surely, we were both inching closer to our breaking points.

“Faster, Ian,” I begged. “More. Yes, more.”

My mind was getting lost in this foggy world of blissful wonder while lust began to spread and rise like tidal waves among a stormy ocean. I was adrift in the intense waves of rapture that fought to consume me, and I wouldn’t stop my body from taking control of claiming what we wholeheartedly desired.

Our voices echoed off the hollow walls, our moans and heavy breaths loud and clear. The pain was nothing compared to this rising tension, and I knew my orgasm was approaching and it would be ten times better than what my fingers could possibly achieve.

“Ian…Ian…Ian!” I couldn’t think straight anymore as his name was the only thing I could cry out as his thrusts became as rough as his grunts and moans of my name. My hips moved at an animalistic pace, the need to be flooded with pleasure far too great to slow my tempo down.

“That’s it, Harper. Move just like that. Fuck,” Ian breathed in haste. He was close, just like me, and his groans were priceless. “Cum with me, baby. Let me hear you cry out my name,” he urged through gritted teeth as he pounded into me.

My climax hit me in a blur of whiplash, making my body lock in place as I screamed his name in ecstasy.

“IAN!”

A few swift thrusts and the tightening of my pussy around Ian’s cock triggered a long moan to erupt from his throat as he sunk himself into me as deeply as he could.

“HARPER!”

He exploded inside me and it left me spiraling in blissfulness - hot shots of cum shooting inside me as I shuddered uncontrollably beneath him. He groaned and collapsed on top of me, the two of us panting like we’d run for our lives while our bodies were already dripping with sweat.

Ian struggled to hover over me once more, still breathless, as he slowly pulled himself out. That made me gasp as my body shook at the drop of pleasure.

“Fuck,” I groaned and needed a minute or two to breathe and calm the fuck down. I’d never felt this level of high in my life, and I wondered how long it would take to come down from it.

Everything felt so hot, especially the left side of my lower waist, like a specific part was on fire. Surely it wasn’t, but my brain couldn’t think straight to bother trying to decipher what was going on.

Ian took a second to pull the condom off and tossed it somewhere. He collapsed next to me but didn’t hesitate to pull me into his arms. His body was less sizzling with heat than mine, which was comforting as I allowed myself to relax in his hold.

We were silent as we focused on simply breathing, and once it felt like we’d calmed down, Ian kissed my forehead before moving us onto our sides so he could kiss me properly.

“Fuck, Harper,” he breathed against my lips. “That was amazing, and you smell extra nice.”

“Smell nice?” Alright, that was funny as fuck, which left me giggling. “Like what? Sweat, cum, and whatever else is in the tense air of humidity?”

“Hmm. Those aren’t as strong as this scent.”

“Oh, really?” I tested. “Does it actually smell nice?”

“Ya,” he admitted. “You really do smell nice. Very addicting aroma.” He paused as if to inhale deeply. “It’s a floral scent. Like vanilla, which is what you usually smell like, but with roses and lilies, but not like normal roses. Pink roses? How do pink roses smell?”

I laughed and shook my head.

“I don’t know,” I answered. “That’s rather specific though.” Leaning in to kiss him, I couldn’t stop myself from yawning the moment I pulled back. “Can we have like a few minutes of shut-eye?”

As much as I wanted to talk more about the multiple feelings of triumph and calm riddling my senses, my eyes were losing their battle to stay open. I knew sex was a pretty intense activity, but I hadn’t truly acknowledged how exhausting it was.

With my body finally calming down, I was desperate for a power nap.

“I think I can agree with that,” Ian admitted with a tired smile before snuggling against me. I felt his lips press against the top of my head.

“Just a quick nap,” he encouraged. “We gotta clean you up after.”

“Good plan.”

“You’re not in pain, right?” he softly inquired. Poor guy was probably fighting sleep just like I was, yet he was concerned if I was alright.

“Not really? I mean, a little bit, but it’s worth it,” I admitted as my eyes finally came to a close. “Don’t know…about the morning…but…hmmm…” My voice trailed off, just like my mind was beginning to drift on its own.

Ian’s soft chuckle seemed so far away, just like the gentle press of something against my lips. “Sleep tight, Harper,” he whispered. “Thank you.”

What an unforgettable experience.

13

OFFICIALLY MINE

“What if Sam and Dolly figure out we’re both home?”

I couldn’t help but ask the prime question while we continued to soak in the warm bubble bath. I never would have thought I’d be sharing a bath with Ian so soon, but he insisted since neither of us were sleepy anymore.

“We’ll figure it out, though I doubt they will,” Ian responded with confidence.

“So confident,” I muttered but smiled. “You can’t predict the future, you know.”

“I can try,” he said with a hint of amusement.

We’d slept far longer than either of us expected. We were well into the night and Ian was so tired he hadn’t shifted into Wolfie. I honestly couldn’t blame him, cause hell, I was extra drained. Who knew if it was due to this state of Heat or if we’d simply exhausted ourselves with our first sexual experience, but the extended nap had done wonders for both of us.

Just thinking about the magical experience made my body buzz with delight. I was still pretty sore muscle-wise, and walking was going to be a whole different journey to worry about, especially when each step made me flinch in pain.

Ian hadn’t even been super rough with me and I felt like this, so I couldn’t even fathom how some of the girls at school handled losing their virginities at twelve or thirteen.

Did the guys even know what they were doing?

Thankfully with Ian, he wouldn’t let me walk five steps before scooping me up in his strong arms and placing me into the shower so I could clean myself up first. While I did that, I hadn’t caught onto what he was doing as he prepped a nice bubble bath with one of my epic unicorn bubble bath bombs.

He also changed my sheets and tossed them in the wash so at least he could put them in the dryer when we were finished soaking in the warm soothing waters. I really appreciated the kind generosity, and it honestly made my heart swell with immense love.

I really didn’t think guys were comfortable around a drop of blood, but Ian had never really given a hoot when I got my period and been in desperate need of chocolate and vanilla ice cream.

Once I’d cleaned up, Ian dimmed the lights to reveal the magnificent bath setting. The large bath was decorated with tiny, colorful candles while rainbow petals from what I could only assume was from the rainbow bouquet in the living room were spread out along the floor that led to the steamy bath.

All of this was really tempting me to reward him with another round of amazing sex, but my body was sore as hell and I probably needed more rest before we did the deed all over again.

Not to forget Ian was too lazy to try to find another condom.

Further relaxing against him, I began to acknowledge that intense tugging urge was no longer present. I could actually think straight without the immense desire to kiss - or fuck - Ian like before, leaving me to wonder what clicked us back to normal.

We did notice a visible mark on the left lower part of my stomach. It wouldn’t be too noticeable when I wore my usual attire, but it would probably peek out if I wore shorts with a crop top or a bikini during the summer.

It was honestly completely random and what further intrigued me was how it matched Ian’s mark on his neck. It would be another one of those things to add to the research list, but maybe I’d bring it up in a bit.

“You’re okay, right?” Ian asked for what had to be the tenth time.

“You worry too much,” I huffed, but answered softly, “Yes. I’m fine.”

Turning enough to get a glimpse of his observing face as he peered down at me, I decided to bring up what was on my mind. “Are you worried about the mark?”

“Not really?” He shrugged slightly. “I don’t think it’ll hurt you. I honestly feel like I know what it is.”

“And?” I lightly pressed. “What is it?”

A sweet smile formed on his lips while he moved enough to kiss my cheek, which only heightened my suspicions as I narrowed my eyes at him.

“Is it what I think it is?”

His eyes twinkled with merriment before he leaned in close enough to whisper in my ear, “I think we triggered a mate bond.”

I blankly stared at him as my jaw slowly fell open at the news.

“R-Really?” My voice was but a whisper while my insides were going crazy, as if we’d jumped right onto cloud nine. Reika was beyond content as she happily sat there staring at me with those teal eyes of hers. She looked completely relaxed at the news, and I could have sworn I could see a slight smile hidden beneath her white fur.

I maneuvered in the water until I was literally pressed against his front side and my face was inches from his. That satisfied glimmer on his face as he smiled like he’d surely won the lottery made me squeal without him even confirming it.

He chuckled at my excitement and captured my lips before whispering, “Really.”

Another kiss was followed with a more passionate one that made me moan into his mouth while his arms further hooked around my waist beneath the water.

“Does that mean anyone who is intimate with a female in Heat automatically mates?”

“Hmm. I think there’s more to it,” he admitted as he looked deep in thought. “I actually found a section about it in a book during my vacay with Sam. It didn’t have much, but it basically explained that there are various ways the Moon draws one to their fated mate, but there is also the possibility of having more than one mate who shares an intense mutual connection that triggers a bond. There’s that or a blood exchange through a bite or pouring one’s blood into the other you wish to bond with.”

“So…” I began. “We’re vampire wolves!”

“No.” His disdain at the idea made me laugh before he chuckled and kissed me. He encouraged me to rest against him while we relaxed once more.

“Does the whole blood thing happen often?”

“I don’t think so. Think of it like a last case scenario thing, like in the movies where the protagonist female suddenly gets into an accident and out of nowhere the male character arrives to save her at the last second.”

“So dramatic,” I groaned and rolled my eyes. “It feels a little far-fetched to be real. Please tell me that really doesn’t happen.”

“It’s not that dramatic,” he assured me. “At least in the records it isn’t. I think it really is a last resort type of move because it requires a lot of blood. The female most certainly has to be important to the male, who’s probably an Alpha, or the entire pack for them to go to such extremes. I honestly don’t think they use such methods anymore seeing as they don’t really pass down that knowledge to us wolves.”

“I wonder if Sam or Dolly will ever let me out of the dark about this whole wolf thing.” I didn’t mean to change the subject, but it popped into my mind now that we were talking about passing down knowledge to the younger wolf generation.

“It’s not like they’re obligated, obviously…it’s just…it’s a little frustrating to be left in the dark. I feel like I’m missing out on something big. Like…connecting with people I’m meant to connect with versus keeping me oblivious in hopes of protecting me,” I explained. “Like…isn’t it more troublesome to keep me hidden from the world? It may not seem so now, but I mean in the future when I’m introduced. I feel like Reika and I are going to be so far behind that we’ll be more of a hindrance than beneficial to the community.”

Ian began to play with my wet strands while occasionally stroking my head as he responded.

“I don’t think they’re keeping you out of the loop simply to protect you,” Ian admitted. “I’ve thought about it over the years, and what keeps nagging at my mind is how hunters were after you and obviously your family. How many years have passed with no leads whatsoever? If this was a normal case in a small town like this, it shouldn’t be too hard to find the clues needed to crack down on this. O’Neil and some of the best officers have solved murder cases in days and yet it feels as if no one but O’Neil is trying to find some sort of lead after all these years.”

I could tell Ian was really bothered by this from the tone of his voice. It clearly irked him that my family’s murder and the overall case was probably sitting in a dusty filing cabinet and would probably stay there forever if O’Neil wasn’t still trying to gather information on it.

“I think that’s one of the reasons why O’Neil wants me to help with the technology department. Compared to paper files where things get overlooked, there are audits and stuff that are done by people higher up that overlook the entire country. It’s only a matter of time before they notice your family’s case has been sitting there and needs to be addressed. O’Neil thinks I can move up in the ranks really fast now that I’m eighteen. I won’t necessarily be a police officer since that really isn’t my thing, but maybe a detective in shifter affairs. It would make it easier for me to help out so we can seek the truth.”

“Ian,” I whispered. “You don’t have to focus on it.”

“I want to,” he earnestly admitted and kissed the top of my head. “You deserve justice, just like you deserve to know what you are, Harper.”

“I guess…I’m just hoping I’m not some kind of outcast, you know?” I looked up to meet his eyes that were filled with understanding.

“I know,” he repeated. “Just continue to be patient, okay? Since I’m eighteen, I’m gonna get more access to stuff and with this pilot project to shift to computer technology, it’ll be a lot easier since I’m learning all about the programs. If I work really hard, it won’t be long before I can do whatever I want without being monitored. I’ll gather information and we’ll solve this on our own.”

“Don’t you risk getting in trouble? Especially if O’Neil finds out?”

“They won’t find out. I’m very good at computers and I know how to code so it’s untraceable. I’m making it my mission to discover what happened to lead to your family’s murder.”

“Did…you ever find much about yours?” I couldn’t help but ask the rather sensitive question. My voice was super low while my hesitation was a bit obvious.

Every year we made it a tradition to visit their graves, as we did my family’s at the edge of the property, but we never really liked discussing the past in general. We were obviously older and wiser, but it still didn’t erase the scars left behind from our losses.

“Nope,” he admitted. “My family comes from a strong line of wolves that can even use magic from what the records say, but other than that, nothing. Funny cause when I found that out, I thought maybe I’d pick up on some type of trace or track my roots. Silly, really. It’s been a really long time and back then, I doubt there were officers like O’Neil who takes his job seriously compared to the majority of the department.”

From the slight hurt in his eyes, I regretted asking.

“Sorry. I promise not to ask about it again.”

He gave me a sad smile but shook his head. “No. You can ask. Honestly, you’re the only one who ever asks about me in general, you know? When the case was fresh, all the adults would send their condolences and want to do everything to make the pain lessen, but when the years went by…well…everyone moves on. It’s life, basically, but having someone you cherish bring it up helps me realize that they’re not completely forgotten.”

His smile fell as he sighed and kissed my forehead.

“It just bothers me more often than I’d like to admit. Over the years of volunteering at the station and seeing O’Neil and other officers bring in these bad guys like it’s a breeze makes me wonder what the fuck happened when it came to our families? Why do they go above and beyond to catch some hunters who barely do damage, but the ones who’ve cloaked their hands in blood are off scot-free doing whatever they want? It couldn’t have been that hard to find the culprits who took my family away from me. So why are we at this point in time with no answers?”

He had every right to be frustrated, and I could feel it in his body as it tensed up with his anger. “Time is ticking away and the more it passes by, the harder it is to dig into the archives and try to solve this once and for all. It’s just upsetting that these people stole multiple lives and are living a life of freedom as if they haven’t hurt a single soul or ruined a child’s future.”

His eyes lowered to look into mine, seeking comfort as they softened at the sight of me.

“What if I hadn’t met you, Harper? What would have become of me? Where would they have sent me?” I wasn’t sure what he was referring to, but the pain in his voice tugged at all my heartstrings as I moved to hug him tightly.

He held me like I’d slip out of his grasp any second, leaving me wishing I could simply snap my fingers and take his pain away.

“I want to help us find out who we are. Who we’re meant to be. It’s so damn frustrating not having access to this and that, while the people who should be taking this seriously slack off to eat donuts and do stupid shit that isn’t even aiding in solving cases. They don’t care about bringing us peace, and that’s what upsets me the most. It makes me so damn tired and frustrated because we deserve answers. To discover why those hunters were so desperate to try and take you out of this world…so driven to try to take you away from me.”

He further tightened his hold on me and muttered, “They can’t have you. I won’t dare let them take you from me.”

“No one will come back to take me, Ian. I technically died to them, remember?”

“Still,” he whispered. “I want to ensure you’re protected. That I can keep you from harm’s way.”

“You protect me just fine, Ian,” I reasoned. “Everyone in towns knows not to mess with me. Back off from Ian’s girl or pay the ultimate price of a criminal record.”

“Good.” He didn’t even sound ashamed. “You’re officially mine so they better fuck off.”

I laughed and shook my head while singing, “Overprotective boyfriend.”

“Overprotective mate,” he corrected as his hand lightly wrapped around my throat and kept me still before he smothered my lips with his. That was something new and tingle-inducing.

My eyes locked onto his and sure enough, his eyes darkened at the sight of my lustful blue eyes. That radiating need was beginning to pulse between us, which made me smile as I brought up what I was thinking earlier.

“I thought you were too lazy to get a condom.”

“I am.” He didn’t deny it. “I’ll just pull out.” He winked, which made me begin to blush.

“Unbelievable,” I muttered and shook my head just slightly. “Men.”

He laughed. “Admit it. You’re just as horny as me.”

“I won’t deny that,” I admitted and couldn’t help reaching out to move some of his wet locks from his face. “Just like I won’t deny how much I love your hair like this. Don’t cut it, or I’ll never fuck you again.”

He lost it in laughter. “Shit, Harper. It’ll reach my ass if I don’t trim it once a month,” he whined in between chuckles.

I sighed in exaggeration but smiled. “Fine. Only a trim.”

With a few brief kisses, we got lost in the growing emotions. He slipped his tongue inside my mouth, taking me on a soothing journey of sweet passion.

A few minutes went by as our hands explored the smooth, wet surfaces of our bodies beneath the water.

“When we’re older, let’s get a place,” I whispered the idea as my half-opened eyes met his. “Maybe not when I’m eighteen cause that’s still pretty young, but maybe a bit after that.”

“We think alike,” he admitted while giving me a confident look. “We are getting a bit too big for the treehouse.”

“Can you imagine having sex there?”

He shivered at the mention of it. “All I can envision is back pain and locked muscles.”

We laughed, and I noticed a glimmer in his eyes that told me he knew something I didn’t.

“You’re hiding something.”

“Well,” he began as he looked away for a moment. “Let’s just say I’ve been saving a lot of money ever since I started doing part-time at the station. They’ve been doing this preconstruction project that’s going to be between the sanctuaries, and well…I’m keeping an eye on it. It’s gonna be a nice place and surrounded by nature. I know we both don’t really like the town and the city wouldn’t be any better. The owner of the project actually got a specific case solved thanks to my involvement so when I went to inquire, he immediately said he’d reserve the one I wanted for when I’m ready.”

“No fucking way.” I was breathless. “You’re joking.”

“Dead serious,” he replied.

“B-But it can be another two to four years from now!”

“Two, four, six. He said when I’m ready they’ll start building. The land will be reserved until then. It’s sacred land anyway so it’s not like it’s going anywhere,” he admitted and closed his eyes as he continued, “We were able to find the killer of his daughter. She was his only child so it’s a big deal to finally get closure. He said nothing compares to the closure we’ve given him. The case was sitting there for years and I just picked it out as a test assignment. I didn’t think I’d find clues and match them all up. It led to me finding the exact footage the officers overlooked.”

“Ian…” I was so moved by his actions while I could only imagine the level of gratefulness this man probably carried towards Ian after he aided in finding the true killer responsible for his daughter’s murder.

“So I guess you’re pretty much stuck with me, Harper Blake,” he teased in hopes of lightening the mood. “We’re officially lovers, mates. We’ll have a nice house, and I’ll marry you.”

“Oh really?” I lit up at the final part of his statement and lifted my left hand to wiggle my fingers. “I wonder what ring you’ll get me to top this one.”

His eyes noticed my golden ring with metallic pink petals as the design. I may have hallucinated it, but it felt like for a split second he was slightly upset with the sight of the ring I’d kept on my finger for four years.

Aside from its reminder that Carter found it in the woods, there wasn’t really any significance to it, but I’d gotten so accustomed to wearing it, I just didn’t take it off. I clearly must have imagined it because he smiled once more and nodded.

“I’ll get you something even better.”

That left me in gleeful joy as I hugged him tightly and gave him a feverish kiss.

“I love you so much, Ian.”

“I love you more, Harper,” he muttered against my lips before sealing them with a tender kiss. I knew with the way our bodies responded in heightened desire that this would lead to something more, but I wouldn’t stop myself from enjoying another pleasurable ride after our talk.

Within, I trusted this love, and now that we were mated, I knew without a doubt in my mind that Ian would continue to be mine. Now…and forever.

14

ALLEYWAY PROBLEMS FOR A TROUBLE MAKER

~FOUR YEARS LATER~

MY PHONE BUZZED in my pocket as I fought to keep my rapid breaths steady. If I wanted to pull this off, I couldn’t be too distracted, but from the sound of the ringtone, I knew exactly who it was.

“COME BACK HERE, YOU BITCH!”

“No rest for the wicked.”

More like no rest for the sexy privileged.

Reika rolled in laughter, which left me feeling giddy as the adrenaline kicked in and I increased my running speed. Finally getting a grasp of my phone strap with my Sailor Moon keychain, I pressed the button and put the phone to my ear.

“Harper speaking!”

The sigh on the other end only made me laugh out loud as I turned a sharp corner and avoided crashing into a couple.

“What madness did you get yourself into, Miss Troublesome?”

“Oh, c’mon,” I heaved. “I haven’t been that bad to be called Miss Troublesome! Give that name to Rachilla or how about that girl, Cass? Cassidy? Cattie? What’s that bitch’s name? The one who doesn’t say shit but is in everyone’s business?”

“Cat. Her name is simply Cat, Harper.”

“You sure?” I questioned and further picked up the pace as my other ear caught onto the stampede of footsteps chasing after me. “Why can’t we just call her a Debbie Downer? Isn’t that a good way to classify their whole group of fanatics?”

“Are you going to let me know why you’re being chased by this fan club group of bitches?”

“See, what happened is- hold on!” I paused because I’d definitely need all my concentration as I took another sharp turn and went full speed down the alleyway with a tall as fuck fence. “Up, up, up we go!”

I pushed off the ground with ease, my body lifting up as I quickly pushed off the tiny strings of metal to further elevate my movement up the crisscrossed wall. I cursed when I missed the final step that should have propelled me over the sharp, barbed edges, but suddenly a gust of wind came out of nowhere with enough force to lift my entire body over the edge.

“Oh shit!” I couldn’t be more thrilled at the timing as my body dropped downward only for the wind to pick up further and somehow cushion the drop. “I gotta love Mother Nature. She’s always got my back when I need it.”

“Should I ask why you even said that?”

“The wind helped me over the fence and caught me before I got to the ground! I swear, it’s like I have magic or something.” I laughed and spun around in time to see the group of girls rushing to the fence, only to realize there was no way their pretty, plastic bodies stood a chance at attempting to climb the rather steep barricade that had to be a good ten feet tall.

“What a shame,” I practically sang and spun around in my school uniform, which made my skirt lift before I gave the group of girls a curtsey. “It looks like we’ll have to play this game of cat and mouse another day.”

“You damn slut!” the main chick in question snarled, and I sighed dramatically as my eyes locked onto her.

“What is your name again? Actually, don’t answer that. I’m just gonna call you Debbie Downer.”

“It’s Cat!”

“Meow meow,” I teased. “I have a cat. Her name is Muffin. She’s probably the one who stole the answer sheet for tomorrow’s exam from you, which you stole from the teacher’s desk when you were seducing him after class.”

Her eyes widened at my declaration, and I shrugged.

“Apparently it takes a slut to know a slut,” I said in a hushed voice. “Funny, though.” I paused to lift up my left finger and flaunt my golden ring. “Last time I checked, I was in a very committed relationship.”

“Shut up, bitch! Everyone knows you want more than one boyfriend to fuck!”

I flicked my strands and pouted my lips like I really was offended by their bickering.

“Oh, I’m terribly sorry. Does my preference for more than one cock insult you?” I gasped in horror as I placed the back of my hand dramatically against my forehead like I was about to faint.

“Woe is me! I terribly apologize that I’m capable of loving more than one person! It’s a shame that I’ve only committed to one man these last eight years, but maybe it’s time to change that for the sake of these humiliating rumors you’ve spread all throughout town to try to degrade me.”

Reika howled in my head. The mocking sound made me giggle like a maniac for a second before I lowered my gaze to see their red, flustered faces.

“Listen, Karens one through five, I don’t have time for y’all and your rumors. You’re honestly doing me a FAVOR by opening the option for me to ask my boyfriend if we can add a few men to our very solid relationship. You guys think you’re doing me in by telling anyone who can listen that I’m willing to date more than one guy?”

I burst out in laughter like I’d really lost my mind.

“Ever since you began your commitment to the ‘Take Harper Down’ Movement for like how many years now, I’ve gotten asked nonstop by almost every guy at school and in this lame town to be a part of my apparent ‘harem’ you’ve so humbly bragged about,” I noted with a teasing grin upon my lips. “All your rumors are honestly doing me a favor! If I blink my eyes enough, maybe I could persuade my boyfriend to be up to the idea of sharing me, and guess what? If he says yes, I already have a full-on waiting list.”

Walking up to the fence, I purposely moved my hips with every step, making my skirt lift while I flaunted my long locks that were up in a ponytail. Reaching the barrier that stopped us from getting into a wild fight, I looked directly into Cat’s eyes - glimmers of gold fighting to peek through those brown orbs of hers.

Reika so desperately wanted to head butt her, but I tamed the urge as I continued my gimmick of overconfidence.

Maybe it wasn’t a gimmick because damn, it was so easy to grind these bitches’ gears and leave them fuming with immense hatred.

“So why don’t you keep you up the theatrics and desperate desire to ruin me, because every time you’ve tried, you only contribute to my immense popularity as the beautiful, talented Harper Blake, girlfriend of Ian Chestwood, who loves a little fun, and it ready to mingle with multiple lovers.” I leaned in further and grinned big enough to show my sharp white teeth. “Maybe throw in that I’m not picky about gender. Maybe that would stop y’all from chasing me like horny bitches who can’t take no for an answer.”

The other girls gasped while Cat’s face grew red.

“I’m not a lesbian!”

“I never said such a thing,” I dramatically stated. “Though if you’re going down that route, I’ll totally support you from afar. Just don’t have a crush on me. As you’re fully aware, I’m taken with a waitlist of men waiting to be potential partners. No way could I add any more people, but hey. Maybe I’ll make some room for those elites y’all keep obsessing over.”

“Don’t you dare!” she hissed as she literally trembled with anger. “The leader is mine! We’re dating!”

“Oh really?” I gasped as if I gave a hoot. “Then what are you wasting my time for again? Shouldn’t you be going to wherever he is to make sure no girls steal him away with this news that they’re coming to our town today or this week or whatever?”

I never really paid attention to the gossip of the town anyway.

“Dammit, Cat. She’s right.”

“Fuck,” Cat cursed and narrowed her eyes at me. “I’ll get back at you, Harper Bitch!”

“It’s Blake, but if Bitch rocks your boat, go ahead,” I teased with a wink. “I’m sure you’d want me as your bitch.”

“S-Shut up! I’m not gay!”

“That’s what they all say,” I concluded and brushed her off. “Sweetheart, it’s okay to come out, alright? Didn’t you see Sailor Moon when you were a kid? I swear Sailor Uranus and Neptune were a thing. You can be too!”

“Fucking bitch! Let’s go!” Cat hissed and stormed off.

“Takes one to know one,” I sang and spun around. “Jeez. I swear if I didn’t have kickboxing class, I’d beat them up for fun. It’s been a while since I’ve taken on five girls. The last three guys were a bore.”

Lifting my phone back to my ear, I heard a drawled groan.

“Do you get a thrill from riling people up for fun?”

“Yes?” I wasn’t even going to deny it. “It’s fun. Admit it. You’d do exactly the same thing and give them a dose of sassy Kira before knocking them all out and blaming it on the nearest douche on the block.”

Kira laughed and I could tell she approved of my assumption.

“When O’Neil tells me I’m a bad influence on you, I always deny it, but then you pull off shit like this and I can only nod in approval and say ‘Yup! That’s my girl right there’. Trained to be savage.”

“I was trained by the Queen of Savagery with a bonus course in self-defense. Now, you gotta help me bullshit my way into convincing Ian to share me with a harem.”

“And that’s where I pretend we’ve never met.”

“Oh c’mon! He’s not that bad.”

Kira gasped in horror. “Sweetheart, have you seen the way that man looks at you when you’re minding your own business?”

“Well, no, cause I was minding my own business like you taught me,” I offered in amusement.

“Thank goodness, cause every time you don’t mind your own business, you cause mayhem in these streets,” she commented before getting back to the point. “He looks at you like you’re the queen of his whole world and anyone who dares to try to look at you like the seductive snack you are gets to feel his chilled wrath with just a stare.”

“It can’t be that bad,” I groaned.

“It’s bad, and it’s exactly why no one is bold enough to approach you at the gym when you’re working out.”

“You’re jinxing me,” I hummed.

“If you say so,” she hollered. “Let’s jinx you into going to that party with me in a few weeks. I heard there’ll be some sexy guys there.”

“For you, right?”

“Sweetie, I’m taken.”

“And yet I’ve never met the man,” I acknowledged. “I’m insulted.”

“Trust me. If you met him, you’d see why I keep him out of this nosey town. He’s a clinger and I like people thinking I’m hooking up with O’Neil when our age difference is rather apparent.”

“Why do they keep doing that again?”

“Those of us with cocoa skin apparently can’t go out of the woods in regard to our race so they have no choice but to slam me together with the only black guy in a well-off position since I’m badass, unapologetic, and not afraid to get a little messy since O’Neil would gladly bail me out and forget the incident like it never happened.”

“You always help me realize how racist this town is,” I muttered in annoyance.

“True, but there are good apples like you, Ian, and a few others in power who are trying to change that, but it’s hard to revamp tradition, Harper.”

“Times are changing. We’re not in the eighteen whatever year it was. Plus, it just pisses me off, especially when the jerk boys try to intimidate you at the gym.”

“They can do whatever they wish, Harper. You shouldn’t even worry your pretty head about their immature tactics to try to seclude me.”

“That doesn’t bother you at all?”

“Not in the slightest,” she assured me, and I could imagine her plump lips as they smiled in pride. “I’ve been a lone wolf for a long time, Harper. I don’t need anyone to remind me of my worth, and those immature boys with tiny cocks aren’t going to shatter the love I have for myself. Besides, the last time I checked, they’re the ones with weak self-esteem because they can’t get laid to save their damn lives. I do just fine in that department. I might as well hop on the harem train.”

“I seriously need to get that rumor dealt with or Ian’s gonna have a fit.”

“Let it flow, girl. Maybe Ian will want to share ya. Get you a pack of your own to love you up from head to toe.”

“Oh goodness, Kira.” I blushed at the thought as I shook my head. “I ain’t dating anyone else. Ian’s all I need.”

“You say that now but who knows. Maybe your prince charming is just waiting for the right moment to come to sweep you off your feet with his knights in tow. He’s probably ready to make Ian all jelly.”

“You just want to jinx me all evening long, don’t ya?”

“Well, if you were already at the gym instead of picking fights for simply existing, we’d be training by now instead of me staring at my newly done nails and wondering what sets of lingerie I should pick up from the city tomorrow.”

“Oh!” That made me excited. “You got a new catalog?”

“Fresh out of the mailbox,” she hummed in delight. “Now run your ass to the gym so we can look through it and choose. I know the store owner and she’s gonna reserve us some pieces before they sell out. The doors open in two hours and the line is already ten blocks deep.”

“Shit!” I cursed and was already running forward. “This is the problem with small towns. I can’t believe we’re fighting over lingerie when our female population is damn non-existent.”

Kira lost it on the other end. “That’s totally true. Apparently, half the line are men trying to snag whatever they can get to entice women to trade to get laid.”

“That’s just horrible,” I breathed as I picked up my pace.

“Gotta do what you gotta do when all the women in town are taken.”

“Except for Cat and her crew of Karen Debbie Downers,” I concluded.

“Aside from them. They’re too catty to be taken. Men in this town have too much pride to be controlled by a woman.”

“Ain’t that a fact,” I concluded and smiled. “I’ll be there in five minutes, Kira. Excited for today’s lesson.”

“Me too, Harper,” she replied. “Now, no more alleyway problems. Get your troublesome booty over here in one piece or I’ll add an extra hundred and fifty squats to your session.”

“Ugh,” I groaned in dismay. “I already have a booty now! Isn’t it enough?”

“Do you see Ian complaining when those cheeks are clapping when he’s banging-”

“No! He’s not complaining about my plump ass,” I cut her right off as I ignored how flushed my cheeks felt. “I’ll avoid trouble for the sake of my sanity!”

“See you soon!”

I hung up the phone as I came to a stop at the light and shook my head.

“I swear, Kira’s dangerous.”

With a smirk, I slipped my phone back into my skirt pocket and fastened my backpack for the sprint ahead.

Can’t deny the fact I do love being a troublemaker.

15

GROWING UP AS A WOLF TAMER

“Left. Right. Upper punch. Lower punch. Right jab. Right jab. Left jab. Uppercut!”

I controlled my breathing as my body moved at Reika’s commands. My eyes were connected to the pair of fierce orange ones, watching them spark with golden glimmers while they taunted me further.

Gloved hands stopped every punch I delivered, even when my movements were so fast, I was sure it was nothing but a blurred movement of limbs from afar. Sweat dripped down my face, just like the rest of my body.

Quicker breaths, faster punches, my eyes burned with intensity as I continued to punch my target.

“Break!”

I forced my body to jolt to a stop, my fist stopping right in front of Kira’s face. She smiled like a villain about to destroy their prey, only she unexpectedly punched me in the gut.

“Oomph!” I gripped my drenched abs and looked back at her in horror. “What was that for?!”

“I said break three times already.” She nodded with a smug look as she began to tug at the straps of the gloves. “You gotta stop when your instructor tells you to. Not when Reika decides it’s break time.”

“Ugh. So mean,” I whined while blinking my eyes innocently.

“Stop with that puppy eye nonsense.” Kira laughed. “That shit only works with Ian. Not me.”

“Mean,” I huffed but began to tug at my straps and slipped my hands out of the gloves before tossing them to the side like Kira had.

She cracked her neck and took a few steps back. It gave me a chance to take in her tall, fit physique.

Kira Damaris.

She’d been my trainer for the last two years. Originally, I was going to start training with her at sixteen, but one assessment of my skills back then concluded I wasn’t ready.

It disappointed me in a sense since I’d heard Kira was extremely picky about who she trained. She wasn’t here to appease the girls who just did kickboxing to post sexy pictures on social media.

She craved the fierce girls who wished to learn every move and empower themselves so they could fuck the shit out of anyone who tried to unexpectedly take them out.

I could see why she was so selective.

Kira was intimidating. She was super tall for a woman, with her 6′4″ height, and wasn’t your typical skinny type, like me. She was the definition of curves with hips that surely didn’t lie and a cinched waist, thick thighs that clapped, and muscle in all the right areas.

Her wardrobe was mostly black leather, and one look in her direction and you knew not to mess with her. She had dark chocolate skin, the flawless complexion honestly one to envy because there wasn’t a hint of imperfection in sight.

Like did she even get pimples?

She naturally had long hair, and I was always intrigued if she was solely African in her heritage. Unlike O’Neil’s hair, which he said needed a lot more work because of its complex texture, Kira’s was silky smooth and pitch-black.

She normally wore it in a ponytail unless we went out for the night, but it only added to the fierce appearance that left most of the typical people in the gym trembling the moment she walked in.

Her aura simply demanded attention and respect, and that was why I admired her so much. Her eyes were probably the most mesmerizing thing about her because they always danced between the golden base with hints of orange and the complete opposite, like they were today.

I always wondered what makeup she used because it clearly had some waterproof tendencies with how it remained on point: black eyeshadow, perfect contour, and those plump lips of hers in the perfect shade of dark red lipstick.

She always held a hint of golden highlight on her cheeks, which completed her daily look. I’d never really been into makeup, but she really wanted me to step up my game and try it because it just heightened her beauty further.

“Done admiring me?” Kira inquired with a knowledgeable smirk.

I rolled my eyes. “Not my fault you’re pretty as fuck and always making me want to get into makeup.”

“I keep telling you I’ll teach ya everything you need to know. We should glam you up for the party!”

“Ian doesn’t want me going,” I noted.

“Well, Ian can shut it,” Kira dismissed. “Just because he’s working that night doesn’t mean you should miss out on the fun. This is the only party my ass has been invited to so you’re coming whether he likes it or not.”

I bounced on my toes to shake out my body while I responded, “I really dislike that you’ve been here for four years and yet people still make it seem like you’re a stranger.”

Kira laughed and stopped to roll her shoulders before stretching her arms.

“One thing you have to remember, Harper. Most people hate those who stand out like a sore thumb,” she emphasized. “And I’m not talking about my cocoa skin either.”

“They’re probably just envious of your makeup,” I noted.

“I wouldn’t be surprised. Four years and they’re still trying to figure out what foundation I’ve been using before the setting powder, contour, highlights, eyeshadow, and brand of lipstick I wear. It’s fun to be a mystery. Plus, it’s not my fault they’re too shy to ask me what I’m using.”

“Shy is an understatement,” I noted.

“Alright,” she began. “Too stuck up to ask someone like me what I’m using to look as good as I do.”

“I bet they wish to have an ounce of your confidence,” I noted.

“Oh, trust me. They do.” Kira had no shame in flaunting her strong persona. “I worked years on becoming this bad bitch, so no one is going to dim my burning flame. Now, ready for a quick one-on-one?”

“As long as you don’t kick my ass like last time,” I whined. “It was embarrassing.”

Now Kira was laughing harder than she expected to.

“You would have won if you hadn’t gotten distracted.”

“Maybe,” I reasoned. “You always have something up your sleeve.”

“Always have to carry the element of surprise,” she declared, and that was when goosebumps trailed up my skin as the power around her shifted.

Without warning, she charged at me before she pushed off the ground like she weighed nothing with every intention of kicking me down.

I caught her leg in my grasp, but her weight came down on me and I fell back. It didn’t stop me from pushing her right off of me, causing her to jump and roll forward while I spun onto my stomach and pushed my entire body up like I was doing a jump push-up but was back on my feet.

With not a second delay, it was my turn to charge forward, just as Kira rose up and spun around in time to defend against my assault of kicks and punches. She took each one with ease, even with my increased speed.

She was smiling like a happy fool and barely out of breath as she kept on dodging and taking my hits head-on, while I was out of breath within three minutes.

“Fix your breathing,” she commanded as if she weren’t dodging the row of kicks I was delivering. “You tire out because you’re not inhaling properly!”

She suddenly moved in a blur and I realized she was behind me a second too late, my body going off the ground and being tossed across the room into a pile of mats.

“Oomph!”

“That was evil.”

Ugh. We didn’t even tire her out!

I groaned. I didn’t bother getting up, admitting my defeat with a slight lift of my hand and waving it around as though I held a white flag.

“I surrender.”

“Bitch, please. Get up.” Kira giggled and I waited for her to come into my view as she looked down at me. “You’re a sweaty mess.”

“And you somehow still look flawless and haven’t even broken a damn sweat,” I whined. “I hate you.”

“The love is real,” she hummed and offered me a hand. “C’mon. Let me give you some stretches so you can go impress all the hungry boys in the other room.”

I laughed and slapped my hand into hers. She tugged me right up and I shook my body out like I was attempting to dance.

“None of those men are interested in me.”

“Sweetie, are you blind?” Kira was hollering. “I bet you if they had the opportunity, they would smell your sweaty clothing.”

“Eww!” I looked at her in utter disgust. “Is that a thing?”

“Oh honey, there’s a whole fetish community for that.”

“Why do I feel like I’m learning forbidden things whenever I’m with you?” I shook my head while she clapped her hands and laughed.

“This is exactly why O’Neil hates that we’re best friends,” Kira concluded.

She helped me do a few stretches that would have been harder to do on my own before she nodded in approval.

“Overall, you’re getting extremely fast. That’s going to be a major benefit in the long term. Your stamina is on point, but you gotta work on your breathing technique. You get too into the movements and you forget to cue your brain into stabilizing your inhales and exhales. That’s going to deteriorate your stamina by half,” she explained. “Physique-wise, you’ve gained some muscle, which is really good. We’ll see how fast you are on the track next week.”

“Maybe I’ll be fast enough to beat Carter,” I declared with hope.

Kira gave me a smug look and I pouted my lips.

“C’mon! You’re supposed to cheer me on like ‘Ya, bitch! You’re going to kick that wolf’s butt!’”

“Oh, you can kick his butt alright,” Kira began. “But he’s still faster than you.”

“I need your support, Kira,” I emphasized as my shoulders sank.

“I support you, Harper,” she reassured me. “I just don’t support false hope.”

“You’re evil.”

“I’m realistic,” she happily declared. “Is your pack of endangered wolves back from the other sanctuary?”

“Ah, I’m not sure actually,” I admitted. “They were supposed to be back last week, but you know with that whole tornado warning things got delayed.”

Kira placed her hands on her hips and shook her head.

“Honestly, this town has been dealing with the weirdest shit I’ve ever seen. Surely there’s something in the air or something because it just seems odd as fuck that things are rather messy in the environment.”

“Not to mention with how crazy things have been as of late,” I noted as we shared a look.

“That’s one of the reasons why O’Neil wants me to up my self-defense classes,” Kira admitted with an unamused look. “He wants me to do a general one, but I’m not sure.”

“You don’t want to deal with it?” I offered as I rose back up from my split stretch.

“It’s not like I don’t like sharing my skills and knowledge with those who would surely need it in a pinch,” she admitted while her eyes seemed far away. “The scariest place to be is in a situation where you can’t defend yourself. I never want anyone dealing with that, even if they may not like me for my attitude, personality, skin, or existence.”

She paused to stretch her arms as her eyes returned to mine.

“The problem with half the gals in this town is they either don’t show their sense of gratitude until they’re in a deadly situation, or they mock my techniques thinking they’ll never ever deal with such troubles because they’re privileged with popularity, money, and connections.”

“It’s kinda sad, but you have a point,” I admitted.

I’d learned over the years that those my age were petty, stuck up, spoiled gals and guys who got everything they needed in life without struggle. No one were orphans like Ian and me, and though they went to the standard local school instead of the elite districts and academies due to grade requirements, they were well-off enough to flaunt and strut like they owned the town.

Kira had no patience for those who were stuck up and thought they were the next best thing this universe had ever seen, but with the spike in hate crimes and killings in general, I didn’t think status mattered when it came to defending yourself.

“I’ll think about it some more. If the town really wants to up the self-defense classes, they would request it and specifically ask for me. As of now, they’re trying to get a second instructor into the gym.”

“Again?” I groaned. “Should I bother asking because chances are I know why?”

“The usual.” She winked and reached out to tap my arm to emphasize my peachy flesh. “Don’t worry. Next time I come to the world I’ll be whatever the dominant race is so I won’t deal with bullshit.”

“I don’t know how you even stay in this toxic environment, Kira.”

The treatment Kira got just because she wasn’t born white really upset me and even Reika. No one really liked to acknowledge the elephant in the room and how unwelcoming this town was to anyone of color or a slightly different race. But it was becoming a problem in my book and pissed me off.

Kira gave me a confident grin as she shrugged.

“Trust me when I say, I’m only here because I have a duty to fulfill and I promised a very important person I’d do that.”

“It can’t possibly be worth the ridicule and hate, though,” I muttered. Whatever duty she was committed to, it better have been worth it because toxic environments like this could do more harm than good, especially mentally.

Kira’s so kind and wants the best for everyone. Why can’t others want the same for her?

“Trust me,” she began and reached out to pat my cheek lightly. “It’s worth it.”

Her eyes twinkled with pride as she stared into my blue ones.

“Get your yoga on. I’ll text you over the weekend to confirm what the schedule is next week.”

“Okay,” I replied and gave her a bow. “Thank you, Kira!”

“Anytime, Harper.” She winked and gave me a wave. “Make sure if you’re running you go with someone.”

“Hmm?” I lifted my head to see the flicker of seriousness in those orbs of hers.

“You know things are getting dangerous. Try not to run too far out of your property unless you’re with one of the wolves or Ian.”

“Ah, okay. I’ll try,” I admitted. It was tricky because Ian worked the majority of the day and the pack wasn’t back yet.

Kira must have caught onto my dilemma because she walked back and patted my shoulders.

“If you really need to run, call me up. If I don’t have any classes, I’ll come over.”

“You live so far from me,” I reasoned. “It’s gonna be such a hassle just for a run.”

“I ride a motorcycle, love. I can get anywhere rather quickly, and I think you forget who the faster runner between us is.”

“I’ll beat you one day,” I vowed.

“Sure, sure.” She laughed and squeezed my shoulders. “Seriously. If you have to do long runs outside the property, call me. I’ll come down.”

“Thank you, Kira.” I really appreciated her concern.

“Always, Harper.” With a smile, she let go of me and headed to the change rooms. “Have fun bringing all the boys to the yard.”

I rolled my eyes once more but was smiling from ear to ear.

“Kira’s really amazing.”

I agree.

We admired her so much, it was insane. My growth in the fitness department was all thanks to her, and I couldn’t be more grateful. O’Neil and even Ian may have disliked how open she was in terms of topics your average twenty-year-old shouldn’t know about - aka fetishes, BDSM, and other sexy-in-the-bedroom stuff girls talked about – but she’d upped my confidence a few notches and was the reason why not everyone could get away with bullying me at school.

I had only two courses left that would be done in four weeks, and then I’d be done with school. It wasn’t like I really needed to do these courses, but seeing as I really didn’t know what I wanted to do career-wise, I decided doing the courses now would open more opportunities just in case I decided to go into the city for further education or job hunting.

Walking over to my gym bag, I gathered my stuff and moved to another quiet part of the gym that was sectioned off for VIP members. I’d come here enough to gain the membership that about 5% of the town had access to thanks to my daily workout sessions.

Now that I wasn’t looking after the pack as often as when I was younger, I had far too much free time on my hands.

With how uptight security around the town was getting, this place was the safest and best spot to feel some sort of freedom.

O’Neil was gonna pass by today to check out my progress, but he’d gotten called down to investigate yet another murder case that happened down in a town a short distance from us.

To be honest, the last few years had been rather hectic in our seemingly innocent town of Moonshine Haven. Some would whisper and say those who protected these parts were away and that was why the crime rates had skyrocketed.

I wasn’t sure who these protectors could have been, but it was clear that a lot of people were hoping they would come back and help make this town safer than it was now.

Adding the constant issue of grown adults being unable to communicate with their words to resolve issues instead of using guns, the crime rate, in general, had significantly gone up, especially in the last six months.

A new law had recently been passed regarding hunters and gun usage where consequences were far higher in fees and jail time with no ability for bail when it turned out to be a murder. Even so, it wasn’t really doing much from my observation.

To sum it up, people were dying, which was why so many were beginning to move out of our town for the sake of survival. It was dangerous for everyone.

Human or wolf shifter.

Aside from safety as a girl who just hit the twenty mark, I was a bit annoyed with the current handling of my family’s murder case.

I’d requested some documents the moment my birthday arrived weeks ago, and even though I was obviously entitled to that information, the handlers of such important documents were taking their sweet time twiddling their thumbs rather than giving me what I actually needed.

I was becoming impatient, and I was getting closer to taking Kira’s advice and getting a lawyer involved. I already had one aiding in the process of gaining my inheritance, which would be a timely process but not as slow as this documentation fiasco, but it was becoming tempting to get her to aid me with this situation as well.

She did real estate on the side which was nice because she really was inspired by my drive to find the truth behind my family’s deaths, and she was willing to help me for only 1/3 of her usual rate.

I really loved that the few women in my life were all about empowering women and supported me from various angles so I could really triumph against this aged system that was doing everything it could to slow me down.

Needless to say, I had been rather “bitchy” because of it, which was another reason I enjoyed taking my frustration out in physical activity of any kind rather than being home and being snappy at Sam and Dolly.

I really didn’t want to appear like some ungrateful orphaned child, but I needed to figure out who I was - specifically my wolf background.

Since I reached twenty, things had been rather weird with my body. I had strange, vivid dreams of me being some sort of powerful goddess or situations where I’d stand with a dagger in wait for a field of shadowed figures ready to destroy the home of my pack.

It was all over the place with these dreams, and I’d yet to determine if they were prophetic or illusions based on stress.

The sleepwalking was enough that Ian would have to keep an eye on me because my intention of waking up to use the bathroom would land me in the midst of the dark forest, barefoot in my pajamas - if I wore any to bed.

With winter approaching, I was trying to get back into the habit of wearing them so that if I did go on a sleepwalking adventure, I wouldn’t be butt naked in the snow.

No one likes frostbite.

I did wish the other wolves were on the sanctuary property more often so that Ian got a break. I was sure he didn’t personally mind watching me with Wolfie, but after long, strenuous days at the station and the spike of tension with all these murder cases amongst the list of various crimes happening, I really didn’t think he wanted to be staying up at night watching me.

It wasn’t like Sam or Dolly weren’t helping, too. Sam would sleep in the living room when Ian worked late just to keep an ear out in case Dolly didn’t hear me leaving the room upstairs.

The two of them were having their own set of problems, so maybe that wasn’t the only reason why Sam was sleeping in the living room, but that really wasn’t my business.

Ian did have a theory for my apparent behavior based on what he’d been researching.

It was something called the Calling of the Moon, and it normally happened to wolf shifters who had yet to shift. Since Ian was twenty-two, he had full access to the wolf archives and had been doing as much research as he could in between working on cases and finalizing a huge program project he’d been working on for three years.

The program was BIG, meaning it was worth a whole lot of money and was being requested by police stations in multiple countries. They would be testing it out here in our town first for the next six months, and if it did what Ian promised it would, it could eliminate paper tracking entirely, which was what we honestly needed.

Ian was tired of police departments not having any accountability. With this new program, it would designate board heads whose specific purpose would be to ensure that crimes were being dealt with and solved while aiding in organizing them in categories that would need a few police officers or other situations that would need heavy force to find the culprits.

Ian told me that he was secretly working with O’Neil on a special forces unit of shifters, and the pilot would be launching soon. It would aid in stopping the crime here before expanding to the city and then the entire country.

Either way, Ian’s plans were big enough that O’Neil was helping him make an official LLC and entire business plan that would include copyright and other fancy business stuff so no one could try to steal his program, ideas, or overall success.

It was why Ian was so beyond busy, and it made it tricky for us to see each other as often, but I encouraged every bit of it because this would be a huge career change for him. As much as he enjoyed what he did at the station, I felt like they didn’t give him the respect he deserved.

He should have been promoted ages ago with all the crimes he’d helped solve over the years when he was simply working part-time, but I felt many of the officers were either envious or simply jealous because Ian was smart, fit, and had a similar mindset to O’Neil.

They didn’t fool around.

That was where our entire police structure lacked. They never really took the crime seriously because it didn’t personally affect them. With funding coming to Ian’s project, he was saying they were all thinking they would be getting bonuses and stuff.

Little did they know a big change was coming and I figured they ain’t gonna be happy about it.

A small group of officers who were genuinely working to better the town wanted to overhaul the entire structure of the police here in Moonshine and bring fresh, new blood that wished to actually take down crime versus encouraging it out of laziness.

From what Ian explained, it was something they’d been wanting to do for years now, but the only thing they were missing was funding.

And with Ian’s help with the program fund, it could change everything.

It was exactly why some people were trying to sabotage Ian by pushing at his buttons at work. I think they knew Ian had a big future that was about to blossom after years of work, but I couldn’t wait to see their downfall when all their laziness was thrown into their faces and they were forced to acknowledge their wrongdoings.

Dolly and Sam hadn’t really brought up anything regarding my wolf background, though Dolly had noticed my mark. I brushed it off saying it was a tattoo I’d gotten with O’Neil’s permission cause he was cool as fuck and said it would empower me to do stuff that some would think was scary.

It was funny how O’Neil seemed more like a parental figure now that we were older, and he was perfectly fine with Ian and I dating. He said it wasn’t his business to worry or control us, as long as Ian treated me nicely and didn’t fuck up - or he’d beat him up for it.

Talk about the coolest parent ever. There was always something about O’Neil that just made it easy to respect and love him as a parental figure, and maybe Sam disliked that because he’d been a grumpy typhoon of emotional stupidness.

Probably another reason for their closed-off behavior and bad attitude.

I felt like there were still so many secrets that needed to be revealed, but it all came with timing. I just had to keep being patient and work on myself to be the strongest, most badass version of myself so I could invite changes and opportunities that would lead me down the right path.

Lead me down a path of self-discovery as I learn the truth of who I can be.

With a sigh, I ran my hands through my long locks as I stretched.

“Didn’t know you were training tonight, Wolf Lover.”

The way I mentally groaned was nothing like the pure irritation oozing off of Reika as she prowled in my mind like she was ready to fight.

“Can we kick his balls this time? Pretty please?”

The way I smiled was priceless as I took a deep inhale for my own sanity and let it out. Lowering my head to see the culprit before me, I had to gather the few fucks I had left for the day and drizzle them with patience cause I always needed it when dealing with this flirtatious fucker.

Not yet.

“What you want, Rick?”

It was clear from the way he was checking me out from head to toe as his tongue glided along his dry lips like he was the thirstiest man in this gym that he’d either completely ignored my question or was simply too caught up in imagining what it would be like to date someone like me.

Or fuck me. I bet that was what he really was thinking about.

I found it amusing that I was wearing simple neon pink shorts that clung to my booty and upper thighs with my drenched white tank that revealed my matching neon pink sports bra and men were going gaga over it.

I guess I didn’t see much sex appeal in my sweaty self the way these savage boys did, but everyone had different tastes - especially when it came to girls they couldn’t have and ones that wouldn’t dare try a taste of their nectar.

“Quiet today? Alright,” I began and spun around. “Why don’t we talk another day when I actually have time to waste.”

A hand landed on my shoulder, and I swore Reika’s gleeful howl was the perfect motivational music to kick my body into gear. I moved so fast, it took me an added second to acknowledge Rick’s body against the blue mat beneath me while his hand was on the verge of being destroyed by my grip.

He groaned. “Harper?! Easy on the killing me movement.”

“What have I told you about touching me without my permission, Rick?” I inquired. “Last time I checked, we weren’t friends.”

“But we’re acquaintances. Doesn’t that count as something?”

“No,” I dryly stated. “Remember the last time this happened?”

“When you kicked my ass and threatened to break every limb on my body because you were on your period?”

I groaned and struggled not to roll my eyes.

“That’s NOT how it went down, and I definitely wasn’t on my period or you’d be dead. I can’t tolerate you when my hormones are out of whack and I’m bleeding from my vajayjay.”

“TMI,” he whined.

“TMI on your existence,” I concluded and pressed a little harder, which had him wiggling.

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry, I forgot. Don’t break anything! I need a date for the party and can’t go in a sling!”

With another heavy sigh, I let him go simply out of pity. Reika was howling and rolling in her spot in my mind, loving every bit of Rick’s agony. Anything to do with Rick or any guy who tried to approach and flirt with me was the biggest entertainment for us.

I knew none of these men were close to my standards because Reika thought of them as jokes. If you amused my inner wolf, it meant I couldn’t take you seriously in the slightest.

Rick Dawson was one of the biggest jokes in this damn town. He was Rogan’s youngest son, and boy, was he a pain in my ass - literally.

He’d been trying to hook up with me - or to simply put it, fuck - for years now, but I guess this summer was the toping of the “I need Harper Blake’s pussy” segment because ever since seeing me in a bikini at the only beach tournament I’d attended, I was on the “hot” list and he’d do anything to get a taste.

Just so he could do what he did best, which was brag.

Getting off of him, I walked over to my gym bag to grab a towel and pat my face down before getting my water bottle and turning around to see him finally get up before he rubbed his arm and gave me a look of utter sadness.

It was like watching a sad puppy on the verge of crying.

“You’re so rough.”

“Thanks.” I’d take it as a compliment.

“Totally hot in my books. Love to see you do that in my bed,” he offered with a wink.

If only I could vomit out of misery.

“Or kick his ass?” Reika suggested.

And deal with Rogan trying to give me a lecture for hurting his pride and joy? Let’s not. He just needs to get his ass laid. I heard he hasn’t had sex with anyone in months, which is making him stir crazy. Something about him being unable to find the right hole or something.

“Well, he can fuck someone else. We’re taken,” Reika defended. “We have a real man who can actually fuck us.”

My silence clearly meant nothing to Rick because he was checking me out again. I shook my head and continued to drink my water before closing the cap, tossing it back to the bag, and walking past Rick like he didn’t exist.

I knew he’d follow me like I was his world, and my ears picked up on his approaching footsteps, but I didn’t care as I walked over to retrieve my gloves.

“Seriously, Harper. You gotta let that confident wall of yours down a few notches. Like jeez, I know you were basically raised by those wolves, but you need a man to take care of you.”

“If I had the ability to puke, I’d do so right now and make sure it drenched him by accident.”

Maybe the gag reflex will kick in any moment and my aim will be right for his face. Too bad vomit isn’t acidic enough.

“A shifter can dream.”

“My wolves did a fine job raising me to have higher standards for men who respect their kind and other endangered animals, and last time I checked, I have a man who takes very good care of me.”

My emphasis was clearly referring to the bed department because I knew Rick was super bad in bed. The level of embarrassment surrounding his name when it came to the dating game had me wondering how he could still go out in public with some level of pride.

When you trended in small towns like this, everyone under the damn sky knew about your life, and what a shitstorm it was when the ladies decided to “cancel” Rick because he really was a disgrace in bed.

“If you’re referring to Ian, I doubt he can take care of you like I can. Look at me, Harper Babe.” He took a moment to widen his stance and raised his head up like he was on a wrestling stage and was enjoying the cheers of the crowd hyping him up. “I’m ten times stronger, sexier. I’m like the whole package.”

“And the six-pack?” I questioned as I crossed my arms under my breasts and tilted my head to the side to emphasize my point.

He blushed slightly and added, “I’m working on it.”

“Right,” I replied. “Remember Ian had a lovely six-pack during the beach festival and showed that off when he kicked your ass in one of the swimming events?”

“I-I was slacking then! I’m almost at the six-pack level.” He said that but brushed his hands along his tank top instead of attempting to show his apparent abs.

“You know Ian has an eight-pack now, right?”

“Wait, what?” Rick gawked in surprise.

“Oh ya. You didn’t know eight-packs are the new trend? It’s getting all the ladies in bed now. I thought you followed that stuff,” I voiced but sighed dreamily. “Regardless of body types, Ian’s an influential worker in the community, working at Station 194 for so many years, and even contributed to solving various murder cases. Did I add he’s really good in bed?”

I could praise Ian all day as I closed my eyes and further smiled. “Like, really good in bed. Trust me on this one.”

Opening my eyes, I saw his utter disappointment while Reika enjoyed my savagery as she moved back and forth in delight. Uncrossing my arms, I got to the point.

“I’m taken, Rick.”

“I thought you were telling people you were up for having a harem,” he brought up.

That made me giggle. “And if I was?”

“I’d be a perfect option.”

“Too bad I don’t think you’d be the perfect option, Rick.”

The way my body went from calm to bat shit crazy with tingles only confirmed who I now sensed was behind me. If it wasn’t his deep voice, radiant energy, or the amazing aroma of cinnamon mixed with a pleasant cologne that confirmed my boyfriend was standing behind me, it was the way his arms moved graciously around my waist as his front side pressed along my backside.

I didn’t even want to look cause I knew from his spoken words that he was not happy, but Reika wasn’t about to miss the front row seat to testosterone-fueled drama - pushing me to lift my head up to see a very pissed off Ian Chestwood.

This was about to turn into a manly face-off.

Manly meaning OUR man was about to put Rick in his place.

My heart stopped when my eyes trailed down his sculpted chest that was drenched in sweat. I hadn’t even realized he was here working out, but his long green to silver strands were up in the perfect man bun which emphasized the “This Man is Hot and Mine” Chart.

When his gorgeous silver eyes met mine, I surely could have melted into a puddle but instead, electricity rushed down my skin while my body was flooded with heated anticipation.

December might have been approaching, but I certainly wasn’t in Heat phase. It could have been the fact that I’d barely seen Ian the last couple of days with everything going on and now seeing him half-naked, sweaty, and possessively dangerous with that predatory heaviness in those scorching eyes of dominance was doing things to me that really made me wish we weren’t in public.

That we were in the privacy of our room so we could leap right into the fucking phase.

I could hear Rick swallowing and I returned my eyes to him to see him hesitantly looking between us. I really had forgotten his entire existence for a second and I was sure he knew it because he groaned and decided to acknowledge Ian.

“Hey, Chestwood. Didn’t think you’d be out of that little cubicle at the station. Must be a drag working all day for chump change and a pretty lame position.”

His mockery made me want to growl in protectiveness, but that arm holding me tightened further as if Ian could sense my desire to murder.

“Cubicle? Ah…I guess you didn’t hear the news. Typical, since it just happened and all,” Ian began and he certainly had mine and Rick’s attention as he carried right along. “I got promoted today. I have a nice, fancy office with my name displayed on the door in a very expensive golden shade. Maybe it is gold, I forgot to check.”

My jaw went slack at the news and Rick wasn’t far off in the shock department as he stared at him with a baffled expression.

“Since I got promoted, I got to leave early so I decided it would be good to keep up with my ab routine. You know it’s pretty tough to be working the long hours I do and keep my eight-pack all tight,” he purposely bragged before I felt his lips pressing against my right temple.

Sending my body into la-la land internally.

“I knew my girlfriend was hard at work with training, but I got a little impatient and figured I’d come by and check-in,” he explained while his voice dipped further, just like his lips, which were inches from my ear. “Maybe ditch this place and go on a nice dinner date with me?”

“Dinner?!” The way my whole face lit up while I internally shivered at the way his hot breath made my very ear tingle encouraged the most seductive grin that had ever graced Ian’s lips.

“Mhmm,” he agreed. “And some dessert at home would be nice. It’s been a while since I got sated on that vanilla sweetness.”

“He’s not talking about ice cream, is he?”

Oh no, he isn’t.

I was so turned on it surely showed on my flushed face and that pleased Ian further as he unexpectedly kissed me. It was a simple, short kiss and yet it had the power to make me forget the damn day of the week.

Like seriously. What day is it today?

Rick cleared his throat, and Ian pulled back just slightly to give him a bored expression.

“Oh right. Didn’t think you’d still be around.”

I was having the time of my life here as I bit my lip in excitement while my body was practically melting in Ian’s grasp.

Rick had no choice but to let out a breath while nervously ruffling his short blond locks in an attempt to make it seem like he was frustrated.

“My boys are calling me. See ya around, Wolf Lover,” he huffed, and we watched him walk across the room to the other section of the gym - disappearing from our sight.

Ian’s low chuckle made me smile in triumph before a sinful grin morphed upon those smooth lips of his. He was really making it far too tempting to really kiss him.

Make out with him as a reward for coming over here and validating our love.

He moved around me so we now faced each other, his hands sliding into the pockets of his very low riding sweat pants.

Grey fucking sweatpants.

“Wolf Lover?”

“Apparently that’s my nickname around here. Can’t help but love my pack so dearly to the point that it offends actual humans left and right. Guess the love is far too strong,” I teased in delight as I moved around him and headed for my gym bag.

Grabbing my water bottle once more, I turned around to see he’d not only stalked me rather silently, but he now towered over me as my back pressed against the wall. He didn’t hesitate to place his right arm against the white cement wall just above my head.

The need to drink water was long gone as I took in his 6′5″ frame in comparison to my now 6′0″ height. God, he looks so sexy up close. He seriously was a work of art any woman would be down for, and it just excited me more because he was all mine.

I’m telling you, he was shaped by the angels in heaven. No rest days needed.

“Do you see me arguing?” Reika wholeheartedly agreed with me as her gaze was just as transfixed on our man like he was the last candy in the entire candy shop.

I caught onto the flicker of lust as Ian’s heavy gaze lowered to my lips. He inched closer and closer, taking his sweet time as if to emphasize the growing tension brewing between us.

“Wolf Tamer is better,” he huskily declared. “I like that…for now.”

The way his eyes twinkled with sudden mischief only made me forget to breathe as he quietly muttered, “Though, Mate always wins in the game of titles.”

Then he kissed me long and hard.

Goodness, this kiss was filled with intense longing and neither of us was in a rush for it to end. This was one of those rare opportunities to share our passion and yearning desire for one another’s company, especially in the public eye.

I really did miss him, more than I would have originally expected when we predicted things were gonna get busy. If it wasn’t for all the activities I was doing, I didn’t know what I’d do. With the kickboxing, new dance classes I’d added to the schedule this week, outdoor running, and occasional study sessions I decided to do at the library, I’d be lost in boredom and only miss him more.

He really was an addiction, but I was an unapologetic addict who was in no rush for a cure.

Scratch that. I don’t need a cure to save me from Ian. He’s all I want right now.

The thought triggered a smile that broke the spell we were under. Opening my eyes, I gazed into his loving ones as our lips brushed.

“Hey, Mr. Promoted.”

“Hello, Ms. I’m Sexy and I Know It,” he teased right back, which made me giggle. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him even closer. I was on the verge of kissing him all over again but decided to make some sort of conversation.

“Damn. I’ve missed you. I didn’t even know you were here!” I purposely pouted my lips. “You didn’t tell me.”

“I missed you too,” he replied first and couldn’t help but lightly kiss me. “I was going to let you know but didn’t want to disturb my wonderful girlfriend who was working up a storm with Kira.”

“You mean getting my ass kicked by Kira,” I said and laughed.

“Still hot to watch you,” he suggested with a wink that made me laugh again. Just having him here in the limelight made me so damn giddy. It was like showing off an accomplishment and that was exactly what Ian was to me.

A trophy in my life that I wanted the world to see.

“You’re turning on half the gym,” he noted with a low growl before he tugged at my bottom lip with his teeth before sucking the sensitive spot and devouring my lips in an intense kiss.

This man surely wanted to drive me insane on purpose, but I guess I was further encouraging him by pressing my sweaty body up against his muscled front. Kissing him back, his hands moved from my waist to grab my ass cheeks which made me moan into his mouth.

“Careful, Mate,” I warned, knowing damn well I couldn’t control my body when he did possessive moves like that.

“A little display goes a long way,” he reasoned back. No wonder he was being extra passionate, since he knew some of the guys - or particularly Rick - could get a glimpse of us.

“Well, oops,” I said, getting back to the whole turning on half the gym comment. “I thought men around here didn’t like women who can kick ass. I do agree that I’m hella attractive though, but I guess I must thank my amazing boyfriend who purchased these for me before they sold out all over the place.”

“You’re far too dangerous to let out in the wild.” Ian chuckled and kissed me yet again. I pressed my lips more forcefully against his, fighting for dominance as our tongues begged for action and we were practically French kissing.

“From the man who got the cheer squad all wet with arousal,” I complained. “You’re lucky they aren’t here practicing today or my ears would be ringing from their squeals and shrieks that bounce off the walls like we’re in a damn cathedral. I bet we’d have to get the paramedics to come and carry out the girls who faint, like last time.”

I purposely arched an eyebrow at him and he shrugged like it truly wasn’t his fault for that last incident.

“I guess that would be a bit chaotic,” he truthfully confessed. “Too bad they still don’t realize my eyes are on one woman in this entire gym and she’s a gorgeous brunette with the most majestic blue eyes I’ve ever seen.”

“Oh, honey. You’re really showering me with praise today,” I whispered and bit my lip in a seductive manner that would certainly have his cock growing hard. “Why aren’t we home?”

“I’m questioning why myself,” he admitted and leaned forward. “If we weren’t in a public place right now, you’d be doing less talking and more moaning.” Then he purposely tugged at my bottom lip again.

This man was going to kill me today. Seriously.

When he kissed me this time, it didn’t last long before he broke it suddenly, leaned away from me, and slid his hands into his pocket. I immediately knew that sign, which left me crouching down to begin placing my water bottle, towel, and other stuff in my gym bag.

One of the staff walked in just as I zipped my gym bag and rose up to sling the strap over my shoulder. Ian was simply staying there in a laid-back position, his eyes looking elsewhere while I held no fear in locking eyes with the female worker.

She had a scrunched expression on her face as she stared right back at me, but my intimidating look silenced her as I reached out for Ian’s hand and tugged him with me as we made our way to the change rooms.

He squeezed my hand back as he ended up taking the lead because of his long-ass legs, but my attention shifted over to the group of boys whose once amused expressions fell flat as they noticed we weren’t being yelled at for being rather intimate at the gym.

We know how to play the game, losers.

Their obvious disappointment had me smirking as I purposely winked in their direction. Then I did that special sassy walk Kira had shown me that apparently emphasized your hips as you took your time walking just to ensure they knew they were missing out.

When we reached the change room doors, I leaned up on my tiptoes to give Ian a quick kiss before I headed inside.

“I’m really glad Ian isn’t like one of those douchebags.”

Thank goodness he ain’t. Maybe being a wolf shifter and being raised around wolves benefitted him. I don’t know what it is with this town, but the men are damn right toxic, immature, and clearly only care about pleasing their own needs.

“You think the other sanctuaries have wolf shifters?”

Probably? I mean ours may only have Ian, but we are an endangered sanctuary. The others are bigger, get more funding, and take in a lot more people. They rotate a lot too.

I stripped out of my clothes and into my spare outfit. I wanted to wash my school uniform and my clothes from today anyway so I tossed them all in my gym bag and folded my small school bag just so I could squish it inside as well.

After slipping into a pair of black leggings and a black crop top, I quickly dried my hair and ran my hands through it since it had been in a ponytail for so long. I didn’t see much need to shower, especially with how intense the sexual tension was between Ian and me.

At least my current outfit will be pretty fast to strip out of compared to my usual jeans, t-shirt, and leather jacket combo.

Closing up my locker, I lifted my bag that was annoyingly heavy and made my way to the door. I glanced at the mirror and took a moment to appreciate my appearance.

It was moments like these where I really appreciated my overall look and confidence in myself. I looked so alive and carried a proud aura that may have made me look a bit cocky, but in all honesty, this was the first time I’d really loved myself for who I’d become.

My eyes picked up on my mark that was poking out of the dipped waistband of my leggings. I admired the details of the tiny lines that reminded me of little trees with the infinity symbol that had a wolf sitting on the top in a howling position at the moon. I really couldn’t help but love the mark.

It intrigued me because it had developed over time and the final product was mesmerizingly beautiful. Its significance only heightened the impact it carried, and I truly treasured its purpose.

I knew I was still lacking - my inability to shift still heavy on my mind - and that only added to my growing worries that I’d wake up and Ian would want someone else.

Want a wolf shifter like him.

Shaking my head, I tossed the idea out of my mind, but Reika quietly added, “We’ll figure out a way.”

I mentally nodded to her as I let out a sigh and headed out the door. Ian was already changed and leaning against the wall in wait for me. I smiled slightly when I reached his side and he arched an eyebrow at me.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” I reassured him as I couldn’t help giving him a hug. “Just a bit tired.”

“Don’t worry, we’ll be home soon. I have the truck today,” he assured me and reached out to take my bag.

“I can carry it,” I reasoned but he already tossed it on his shoulder even though he had his own backpack before slipping his hand in mine.

“Rest up,” he encouraged and squeezed my hand. “I’ve got you.”

All I could do was smile comfortingly back at him before he took the lead in guiding us to the door.

“I hope we never lose Ian.”

I shifted my gaze just slightly to look at Ian’s back as he guided me. Reika’s words matched my own hopes - that we’d never lose this flourishing love.

Me too, Reika.

16

BAD PEOPLE AND TOGETHER FOREVER

“Do you think you’re up for stopping by the station real quick?”

Ian’s hand squeezed mine as he continued to stare forward at the red light.

“Sure. Something come up?” I’d dozed off for a few minutes the moment I’d put my seatbelt on. I always felt a little exhausted after my training sessions with Kira.

It never really hit me at the moment, but once my body was able to cool down from the adrenaline rush and vibrating energy in the sweaty air of the gym, it was like a wave of exhaustion would flood through me, leaving me far too drained.

He must have gotten a phone call or text message during my power nap because his expression held a hint of irritation, and I knew I wasn’t the contributor to such emotion.

“Not necessarily,” he admitted. “Another report, but I’m not dealing with it tonight.” He sounded stressed just mentioning it.

“Why not?” I couldn’t help but pry.

He turned his gaze to me and those emotions seemed to fade away as his calm, sweet expression returned just from staring at me.

“Work can wait,” he suggested and lifted my grasped hand to press his lips against the back of my palm. “I’m not losing the opportunity to spend the evening with you.”

I smiled in return as I enjoyed how the truck was filled with his cinnamon scent that tickled the walls of my nostrils.

“If it’s important, I don’t want you dismissing it, Ian,” I urged.

“I’ll let them handle it. If they really need me, they’ll call.”

“Why do I have a strong feeling you put your phone on silent?”

“You’re observant even when you’re asleep,” he praised while I shook my head in dismay. I waited until the next red light to state my point.

“As long as no one gets hurt. I’d rather you save someone than worry about me feeling lonely.”

“Are you lonely?” He once again looked over at me, giving me his full intention as he studied me.

“A little?” I mean, I was pretty sure I was because I really did miss him specifically, but a part of me felt I was being ungrateful since it wasn’t like I was a complete loner. I had Kira and got to see her a few times a week and being at school or at the gym placed me in a space with loads of people to interact with.

In a way loneliness wasn’t simply defined as being “alone” in your environment.

You could be surrounded by thousands of people and still feel a hollow of loneliness in your heart because you’re not surrounded by those you wish to be around - those blessed souls who really made an emotional impact on you.

“It’s easy to distract myself, you know? I guess maybe because the pack isn’t back home, and Dolly and Sam haven’t been home much lately either, or at least when I’m awake. And I guess I kinda miss snuggling against you during cold nights.”

He stared into my eyes, and I could see the underlying conflict in them. He didn’t hesitate to lean right over until his lips brushed mine, but he pressed his forehead against mine and whispered, “I’m off on the holidays. Let’s go somewhere together.”

“Together together?” I couldn’t help but really emphasize the word. “Dolly and Sam wouldn’t want us to go on vacation.”

“I told them we’re planning to go on a trip together with some of the town kids.”

“What?” I gasped. “And they believed you?”

“There are trips happening, like the one where the girls are going to NYC next month and the boys are going to Cali for the sports event. We’ve always missed those things cause they always cost so much money, but they’re aware I’m getting a raise thanks to the program, so what are they gonna say as an excuse to hold us back?”

“Um…I don’t know? Maybe they would be concerned that we’re going together?”

“I’ll make it seem like we’re in two different groups.”

“But…we’re not actually going.”

“Says who?” He winked and kissed me on the cheek before he returned his attention to the road.

“You have to have trip advisors.”

“I’m aware.”

“What about if they ask?”

“I feel like you’ve forgotten that we’re adults, Harper love. Why would they possibly ask? It’s not really their business anymore, but if it makes you feel more reassured, we can get O’Neil or Kira to cover for us.”

“O’Neil’s a police officer. He’s not going to stick up for us and lie.”

“O’Neil is a very relaxed father figure in our lives who knows damn well we need some alone time. Plus, I worked super hard to earn some time off, so it only makes logical sense that he’d be willing to go above and beyond to help us secure the opportunity of a much-deserved break.”

“I guess you have a point,” I concluded. “As long as you don’t get in trouble.”

“Never, babe,” he assured me and squeezed my hand.

We reached the police station a minute later, Ian parking in his own secured lot space which was pretty awesome. Leaving our stuff in the car, Ian locked it up and came over to take my hand in his once more.

A few officers greeted me, and we made some quick chitchat with one of the police chiefs who clearly adored Ian.

From the sum of things, the chief’s son was friends with Rick and basically wasting his youth years doing stupid shit instead of taking on the opportunity of getting a head start on his future in police work, like his father.

Needless to say, it looked as if he were living vicariously through Ian with how proud he was. Ian had mentioned it was one of the reasons why his son hated Ian; his father compared him to Ian all the time. I was sure that would make anyone envious, but it wasn’t like he couldn’t alter his reality and actually take life seriously, like Ian did.

Everyone loves to complain when people are successfully striving towards better futures, but they never wanna put in the work.

Ian clearly had the whole package: brains, looks, talents, and the “perfect” girlfriend from the officers’ opinions.

We eventually went upstairs, reaching the quieter section of cubicles and offices as we walked down a different hall that led to Ian’s new office.

I took the moment to admire the sheer difference in atmosphere as we continued down the hall until we reached the door with the shiny new golden label that read IAN CHESTWOOD in capital letters.

It was such a big accomplishment. I felt so proud of Ian. It was so hard to even explain the bubble of pure joy from seeing him excelling in his career like this after working so hard for years.

I doubted that he would have thought he’d reach this far and become a huge contribution to the changes and overall improvement in the police force, but here we were. And now he had his own office to prove that hard work always paid off.

That level of gratification heightened as we walked into the spacious room. It was polished and the lingering smell gave off that “brand new” scent, like when you sat in a new car. The shelves were still empty, clearly a good place for files or to decorate with more sentimental pieces, and his desk was somewhat clean with a brand-new computer.

A few files were stacked up on the black wooden desk, but I did notice the little black frame. Walking over to it, I couldn’t help but lean over to see a picture of Ian and me. It was during one of our dates, both of us smiling brilliantly after having a blast at one of those traveling fairs.

His arm was around my waist and we both held cotton candy and stared at the camera with bright expressions. I had the picture in my room on the nightstand but didn’t think Ian kept his copy here at work.

Ian pressed a kiss to my cheek, triggering a sweet giggle from me as I met his pleased gaze. Gesturing for me to sit after he pulled out one of the black leather chairs, he waited for me to situate myself before walking over to the other side and pulling out his chair to sit down.

“Welcome to my office,” he declared like it was a grand reveal as his hands swept through the air to motion around him. I couldn’t help but laugh because his expression was priceless.

He was so happy, and I just loved to see him this way.

“It’s perfect, Ian. I’m so proud of you.” I meant every word and I knew it resonated with him as his expression softened. He got up and walked over to where I sat until he was towering over me.

Placing his hands on the armrests, he leaned down to claim my lips, delivering short, sweet kisses that made it feel like butterflies were fluttering in my stomach.

“Every day I work hard just to make you proud of me.”

“You know I’ll always be proud of you,” I replied and kissed him lightly in return.

We shared a loving look as we smiled and reminisced on this wonderful moment before he returned to sitting at his desk.

He logged into his computer to do a few things, while I scanned the room.

I wonder how many wolves work here in disguise? Especially now that they want to make a mini department for that special unit.

“Probably a few,” Reika admitted. “O’Neil’s one.”

O’Neil is not a wolf shifter.

“He is.” Reika didn’t even have a hint of doubt in her voice. “He has a wolf scent to him. It’s a bit hard to catch cause he hides it well, but he gives me shifter vibes.”

Well…shit. That would explain a lot if it’s true.

“Yup. He has a scent like Ian and Wolfie.

Ian smells like cinnamon though. Like…all the time.

“That’s his natural scent.”

Seriously? Cinnamon out of all the things.

“Dead serious.”

So wolves can smell like lattes and burgers, too?

“No.” Reika’s deadpan tone made me want to giggle at her unimpressed intonation. “I think that would be plain weird. I do like that pumpkin stuff though.”

I really shouldn’t have listened to you when you wanted to check out that coffee shop. Now we’re pumpkin spice addicts.

“Haters gonna hate,” she hummed. “Though I bet you’ve always been addicted to pumpkin.”

Guess that’s the truth.

My attention returned to Ian as he pulled out some papers to write something. Watching him wasn’t the slightest bit boring, which was surprisingly nice. Maybe because I admired his overall work ethic, it was nice to be sitting in his environment and seeing him in his element as he confidently worked.

His determination was simply another reason why I loved him so much.

“Sorry for the wait,” he apologized as he lifted his gaze from the stack of papers he’d filled out along his desk. “I had to respond to an email I couldn’t ignore.”

With him giving me his full attention, I couldn’t help but continue dreamily smiling back at him, which encouraged that eyebrow lift of his.

“What?”

“I just like watching you work, that’s all,” I confessed with an added shrug. “It always leaves me in a state of admiration when I get to see you work in your element. It just shows how much you enjoy this career and overall environment.”

“You do the same, you know?” he offered with a slight smile of his own.

“Doing what?”

“Being a Wolf Tamer,” he confessed as he leaned back into his chair. “Especially when we go out for runs in the mountain areas. I know we haven’t done so in a long time, but when we go, I can see the happiness radiating off of you. It just lingers there for the entire rest of the day and it’s nice to watch. Really nice to feel, too.”

Feel? That was something new. “How do you feel my happiness?”

“It’s your aura. Kinda hard to explain.”

“Is it a wolf thing?”

“Not sure, honestly. Maybe it’s a family trait or the magic side of me I haven’t really explored yet. I just know when you’re super happy and content, I can tell, especially when I’m Wolfie. It’s like your whole image is submerged with rainbow illumination though the golds are the most vibrant. It’s really mesmerizing to watch and the warmth it gives off is pleasant to feel. I think the other wolves can probably sense it, too, but not as strong as me.”

“Could be a mate thing?”

“Maybe. Who knows? Regardless, I like it. Really heightens my mood and makes me happy in return. It has the same effect on Wolfie as well.”

He reached for his black pen, spinning it between his fingers absentmindedly as we enjoyed the moment of silence.

“Is O’Neil a wolf shifter?” The question left my lips before I really registered asking it.

“Yes,” Ian replied without hesitation, which surprised me.

“Aren’t…you supposed to be more secret about it?” I inquired.

Ian glanced at the door to remind himself that he’d closed it when we arrived before his calm eyes returned to me.

“You’re twenty. I don’t see the need to try to hide things from you if I’m able to speak about it,” he revealed. I really wasn’t expecting him to be so upfront and truthful about it, but then again, I did appreciate his immense honesty.

“Does he know I’m potentially a wolf?”

“Yes.”

“Oh…” I trailed off. “Since when?”

“For a long while. Maybe all along.” He still didn’t seem worried about it.

“You never really told me he knew,” I acknowledged.

“Didn’t see the need to,” he admitted. “It’s never been a main topic of interest, and I didn’t want to worry you.”

“Why would I be worried about O’Neil knowing I’m potentially a wolf shifter?” I wasn’t following his concern about the issue.

“You know how the crime rates have increased by a lot lately.”

“Mhmm.”

“Every target for the last three months has been female, in their twenties, and a wolf shifter.”

That stumped me for a solid moment.

“Oh.”

Reika was attentive, and I noticed her teal eyes were narrowing at the unexpected information.

“We’re being hunted, it seems.”

But why now?

“Why are female wolf shifters being hunted when they’re so sacred to begin with? Their population is so low. Whoever is killing them is doing a disservice to the entire wolf population.”

“We’re not sure, but that’s why it’s a big deal. It’s exactly like you emphasized. Female wolf shifters are sacred, and this could literally fuck up the balance of multiple shifters. Not just wolf shifters. Our community contributes to a bigger picture within the shifter realms so if we go out of balance, everyone will be affected in a negative way. Plus, fewer females are going to make it harder for reproduction so if we don’t get a hold of this soon, there’ll come a time when packs will have to share women, which is another headache in itself.”

“Why?” I was intrigued by the possibility.

“Fertility and birth, in general, is a bit complicated as a wolf shifter. It’s not very simple to get pregnant in comparison to humans. You have to go through a list of various rituals and most of the time, you have to be bonded. Adding the fact that you have to be blessed by Mother Moon herself, and it’s complicated. Then you take in the idea of who in the pack would be the first father in the group, and that’s probably a whole other set of drama.”

“Wouldn’t it be the Alpha?”

Ian stared at me for a long moment as if he were trying to see through me.

“Yes, realistically,” he admitted. “But not every pack member would want the Alpha’s child to be born first. It’s why things would get extremely messy and potentially dangerous if wolf shifters have to start sharing women. Some men may have submissive-like tendencies and not feel threatened about the idea of their child being second, third, last in terms of order of birth, but most male wolf shifters are dominant with a hint of selfish tendencies and the power dynamic is a big deal.”

He paused as he continued to spin his pen between his fingers.

“If the Alpha and designated female, who would most likely be the Luna of the pack if she has to be shared, give birth first, the child, regardless of gender, will automatically be the future Alpha of the pack. That’s a big deal that a lot of male shifters want for their born blood.”

“But what if she had one with the Alpha and then had one with the Beta? Does that mean the Beta’s child would only ever be a Beta?” I really wanted to figure this out.

“Not necessarily,” he admitted. “Let’s say it’s harder as the Luna gives birth to consistently born Alpha children. That’s why the firstborn is a big deal. Yes, the second, third, fourth could potentially also be Alphas based on how strong the Luna and designated father is, but it’s extremely rare, according to the archives. Only one family has been able to pull that off and it was simply because the woman was an Alpha. A very strong one at that. It was generations ago though, so I doubt she and her men are still alive. Their packs live on and her sons are all Alphas of their own packs.”

“Wow.” It was amazing to imagine. “Wait.” Something clicked before I arched an eyebrow at Ian. “Are you saying we don’t need to use condoms?”

Ian blankly stared at me as his pen literally stopped spinning in his finger’s grasp.

“Out of the entire conversation, THAT is what you picked up on?”

“Pretty much?” I offered. “You didn’t answer the question.”

“No.”

“No?”

“No as in we don’t need condoms to fuck.”

“Then why the fuck have we been using them?!”

“Human courtesy?” he offered and stared at me like I’d gone mad.

“You’re a WOLF SHIFTER! Who gives a shit about human courtesy?!”

“Are we arguing?” Ian looked so damn confused.

“Y-Y-YES?!” I declared. “We’ve been spending money on condoms like they’re tampons and now you tell me we don’t need them?”

“I can’t believe we’re arguing over this,” he noted, still looking lost at my reaction.

“You better tell me what you need to tell me, Ian Chestwood,” I began as I shot up from my seat to point at him. “And then you’re stripping me naked, spreading me onto this fancy new desk, and fucking me bareback like you should have been for the last four years!”

I had no clue what was going on in his mind, but he snickered and gave me a playful grin.

“The office walls aren’t soundproof yet, babe.”

I blinked before my face began to turn red.

“And now the entire police station knows our relationship status,” Reika hummed.

I quietly sat back down as I glared at Ian, which made him chuckle before he got up and walked over to me.

“I hate you,” I concluded, and he lost it as he came from behind me and hugged his arms around my neck.

“I’m joking,” he purred into my ear and I froze when he tugged it lightly with his teeth.

Cue in the crazy hormones.

“I wanted to use condoms so that you’d understand I respect your body,” he quietly confessed. “Telling you from the beginning we didn’t need condoms seemed selfish to me. I’d obviously enjoy it, but you wouldn’t. I guess I wanted to tell you after a few times, but again, it made me feel like I was putting my pleasure above yours and that’s not the case for me. I appreciate your love just like I appreciate your body. I don’t want you thinking otherwise.”

“Ian’s a romantic partner for sure.” Reika was just as moved as I was with Ian’s hidden reasoning.

“You really know your way into a woman’s heart,” I muttered and turned my head enough to receive his tender lips.

“Only into yours, Harper,” he reasoned.

Returning to his desk once more, he let me calm down from my blushing fit before he got back on topic.

“Another reason why I’m being so open about this is because we’re worried you’re going to be a target.”

“I guess it makes sense,” I admitted.

“Which is why we’re working hard to find the culprits. So this doesn’t involve you or deliver any chance of you getting hurt.”

“I can defend myself though,” I reasoned.

“You shouldn’t have to,” Ian whispered and shook his head. “No woman should feel threatened simply for existing. Adding the fact wolf shifters are being targeted only increases the importance of cracking down on this as quickly as we can. These women aren’t just shot and left for dead, Harper. They die horrible deaths far worse than that.”

“Isn’t it supposed to be harder to kill a wolf shifter?”

“Normally, yes, but whoever these criminals are, they’re playing dirty. They’re using some type of drug or magic spell that’s disabling some of the strongest female shifters we’ve known in this community, and it essentially paralyzes them long enough for the culprits to do whatever they want.”

“Whatever they want,” I repeated in a hushed tone.

“They’re beaten, raped, and some have gotten their organs taken out of them while they were still alive. Most simply die from blood loss.”

My stomach dropped as my mind envisioned these poor women being killed in such a manner. It was clearly not a fair way to perish, nor was it honorable when you looked at wolf shifter morals. This entire hunting movement was low, and I felt pity for the families begging for some type of justice.

Not to forget the poor victims, who can’t even rest in paradise, are experiencing such a brutal way of dying.

“What can disarm a wolf shifter though? If it’s a drug, it would need to be hella potent to counteract our swift metabolisms.” I spoke as if I’d truly grown up as one of them, but I’d researched enough to be able to hold my weight when it came to wolf shifters’ normal functionality. “You said magic could be involved, so like witches or mages in general exist, right?”

Ian took an added minute to think before he answered.

“I honestly believe it’s magic because like you said, a drug would have to be triple if not quadruple the normal strength to be able to knock down a shifter long enough for them to take their organs out without anyone witnessing it. A spell would make more sense. I have a hunch about what they may using, but I’ve never tried it before.”

“You do?” I gasped. “Why haven’t you tried it?!”

He smirked slightly and his playful look of taunting made me realize the elephant in the room.

“Oh fuck, right. Female wolf shifter. Lack of guinea pigs for your trial-and-error movement.”

“Not necessarily guinea pig, but you’re on track,” he concluded.

“Wanna try?” I asked.

“On you?”

“Might as well,” I suggested. “It would give you the confidence to know you carry some type of magic traits like you predicted, and it would confirm I’m a wolf shifter with delayed awakening issues! A win-win!”

“I honestly don’t think you have delayed awakening issues,” he lightly commented. “O’Neil agrees with my hypothesis.”

“That’s random.”

“Reika says your response is random,” I noted.

He must have forgotten about it or he would have told us while discussing the fact that O’Neil is a wolf shifter. My comment may have triggered it.

“Probably.”

“Sorry. It just popped into my mind,” he confessed. “Another thing is, because of the circumstances, O’Neil is expediting the retrieval of your family murder case archives next week.”

“Holy shit, what?” I gasped at the sudden drop of information. “It was in the archives.”

My disturbed expression only made him rise from his chair and walk over to face me. He leaned against the desk, but his attention was focused on me as he bobbed his head and looked rather peeved at the news.

“My family’s was in there as well.”

I swallowed the lump forming in my throat while attempting to tame my boiling anger regarding the matter. “They’ve been telling me they were getting the documents gathered, just like how my lawyer is working on my inheritance docs.”

“Well, it was clearly a lie,” Ian huffed, his frustration obviously painted across his handsome features. “All I’ve been hearing is a bunch of excuses about why things are moving at a decent pace. Our docs aren’t the only ones in the archives. There are so many unsolved cases in there that it’s becoming ridiculous. People wonder why crime rates are spiking and yet here we are with a 10% solved rate in cases. Why wouldn’t criminals go on a hunting spree?”

It was so damn insulting, and I wasn’t even a part of the police department.

“How can these officers be okay with this practice? How do they sleep knowing the people and shifters they’re supposed to protect are being hunted and murdered in horrendous ways? And they can go on doing things and getting upset with changes coming to the overall system,” I complained and shook my head.

It just didn’t make any sense.

“Changes mean secrets have the potential of coming out,” Ian muttered, and I looked up to him as his eyes darkened. “I’ve already started tracking the web of lies from various cases and I can reassure you that at least 60% of the department needs to be replaced. I bet you it’s more because I haven’t even dug deep yet. A simple graze of the surface and I know we’ll need a major overhaul of all departments. It’s why the funding for this program is spiking every week,” he explained.

“Do you think you’ll be able to finish the program quickly?”

“It’s done,” he said with a slight smirk, and I saw a glimmer of hope in his eyes. “All I’m waiting for is the LLC approval and we’ll be set to launch. We secretly have a shifter unit already using it without notifying any major people. They all signed NDAs so everything will be kept within the circle. I should have the official results of how it’s going in a day or two, but the email I’d gotten earlier that I needed to respond to confirmed that they were able to solve a 50% increase in cases in the last month and have confirmation of twenty-five officers who’ve been ‘lazy’ or ignorant.”

“That’s outstanding, Ian!” I gasped in relief and rose up. He smiled and moved from the desk to pull me into his warm embrace. We couldn’t help but hug each other tightly because it felt like we were not only making progress in our lives, but we were going to help change the lives of others by bringing them justice and closure.

“I wish with a snap of our fingers we could get the answers to all our questions without it being so time-consuming,” I whispered.

“And painful,” Ian admitted, his voice thick with raw emotion.

“We just have to keep fighting for the truth,” I whispered and leaned up to kiss the side of his neck. He held me for an added minute before he let go.

“I know.” He took a calming inhale and let it out slowly. “I’m going to try it out. I only know one other person who can do this precisely, but I’m not sure if he’s back in town. He’s on another level of power in comparison to me so I’m not sure if I have enough juju to make it work.”

“Do I need to be knocked out or something?”

“Uh…kind of? I’m still figuring out this spell stuff.”

“Alrighty! Let’s try it,” I suggested. “As long as I don’t get changed into a toad and need a dreamy prince to kiss me to change me back.”

The way he smiled made both of us giggle before he kissed me one last time and moved me over to a space in the office where he could walk around me.

Silence descended upon the room as Ian began to concentrate and pace around me a few times. It was like he was trying to analyze me with those intense eyes of his, the glint of something magical conjuring within those spheres of silver.

It kind of reminded me of the intense gazes he’d give during sex - or maybe I was just horny at the idea we didn’t need to use condoms anymore - but it really emphasized that he was focused and wished for this to work out for the better.

To help us get ahead of this gambling game.

Lowering my gaze so he could focus instead of worrying about me speculating, I noticed the slight shift in the air. Reika picked it up too - sizzling energy that was foreign in a sense but held an essence that was relatable to Ian.

It was tricky to describe, but I wasn’t afraid of the energy, nor did I get a feeling that it would hurt me. It was just lingering in wait - to be controlled and commanded accordingly.

Reika was pacing around as she was mimicking Ian’s circular pace, though I felt her intrigued mindset about how this would go down.

“Somnum, Amor Meus Aeternus.” His husky voice made its appearance as he spoke the words that kinda resembled Latin, but I had no clue what they meant.

Nor did I feel any effect from his words.

I grimaced and looked up to him with a pout.

“Nothing?” he inquired.

“Nada,” I replied. “I feel fine.”

He looked deep in thought while he crossed his arms to stare at me for a moment. He then nodded and began walking around me once more. It took him longer this time to state anything as he decreased the speed of each step.

Watching his feet was almost hypnotic, while Reika began to count how many circles he was completing as she multitasked by copying his movement. I honestly began to get dizzy, to the point that I had no choice but to close my eyes.

When I finally heard Ian’s voice, it was completely unexpected as his hot breath brushed along my left ear.

“Somnum, Amor Meus Aeternus.”

I’d been on a rollercoaster once in my entire life and I simply did not enjoy it. That sudden drop at that heightened peak before the moment of suspense that led to sinking chaos wasn’t my cup of tea.

It made my stomach plummet to what felt like the pits of hell, and that was exactly what I just experienced because your girl was literally down for the count in Ian’s arms.

He was clearly calling me, but I was still trying to figure out how I’d gone from standing to on the ground even though it felt like I was floating. I swore my hearing was my strongest sense, and yet Ian’s calls were muffled and eons away, like he wasn’t right next to me but back at the truck.

All I could do was groan. I somehow managed to find Reika in my mind as her energy rushed to my aid in an attempt to steal me away from this weird, consuming fog. Maybe this was what it felt like when you took cold medicine and it finally knocked you out.

“Harper!”

“Al…ive,” I managed to get out, even though I couldn’t even feel my own tongue.

Like how can you NOT feel your tongue?

“Semi…alive,” I muttered the best I could, even though it sounded like I was drunk as fuck. Maybe my words weren’t coherent in the slightest, but at least Ian wasn’t begging me to wake up.

I assumed I was lying in his lap cause it felt that way, even with my lack of sensation in my body. It took a hot minute, but I finally gathered enough energy to open my eyes and witness those lovely silver eyes that were filled with immense worry.

I started giggling unexpectedly, the weak struggle only further contributing to his concern as I whispered, “You’re so sexy when you’re worried.”

“Now I’m even more worried,” he replied with an added sigh.

“Kiss me,” I purred seductively, which invited those lovely cheeks of his to flush up like a tomato. It didn’t stop him from actually committing the deed, though.

“I’m never using that on you again,” he concluded with a soft voice.

“But doesn’t this indicate that I’m a wolf shifter and you have badass magic that can knock people out?”

“True, but I really should have considered it a dangerous gamble nevertheless.”

“I survived, you got magic juju, and I’m a wolfie!” I sang like I was drunk.

“Should I even ask how you’re feeling?”

I giggled. “My mind is foggy as fuck and I was reminded how much I hate rollercoasters, all while feeling like I’m on a floating cloud to Narnia.”

“Narnia is through a closet, Harper.”

“Same magical shit,” I concluded and closed my eyes briefly. “That was pretty weird though. I was standing one minute and then boom, out.”

“You were out for ten minutes.”

Oh shit.

“Really? It didn’t feel that way at all.”

“Yup,” he replied with an added nod. “Wolfie had to calm me down since I was about to call for help. I thought I killed you or something.”

“I was still breathing, silly,” I voiced but smiled slightly. “Damn. I guess you really are a magician, babe. How does it feel?”

“I’m still trying to calm my heart from hurting you.”

“You didn’t hurt me, dummy! Just need to give me a moment to recover from the magical mushrooms.”

“Goodness, how do you even know about that stuff?” Ian dared to ask. “Actually…don’t answer that. I already know it was probably from Kira.”

“Affirmative,” I sang the word. “We’re going partying soon.”

“Ugh. No.”

“You can come with me, babe. We can get drinks, and kiss, and dance, and fuck, and get wasted, and go for a run, and-”

“Sweetheart,” Ian cut me off. “You can’t do all of that in one night.”

“We can try.” I grinned mischievously but I swore I probably looked insane to him.

“Let’s spend some time on the floor, shall we?” he offered. I think he hoped I’d finally get back to normal if I stayed still. I had no complaints, and we spent another ten minutes on the floor.

Eventually, he helped me sit up, and then after another five minutes he hooked an arm around my waist and aided me up. I offered to walk back to my seat, but I felt a tad dizzy so he guided me over to the leather chair.

Instead of sitting back in his seat opposite of me, he sat down at my feet just so he could keep an eye on me - nice and close.

“Aren’t you tired?” I managed to ask.

“A bit,” he admitted, and I felt like he was trying not to show it. “The more you get used to exhibiting various levels of magic, the easier it is to use. I don’t use it frequently at all, so I expected it to take a toll on me.”

I nodded and relaxed once more while he observed me.

“You’re handling this very well.”

“What?”

“Magic, confirmation you’re a shifter, all the info I’ve practically dumped on you.”

“I guess cause it’s not like I doubted the existence of the supernatural world since meeting you and Wolfie, and before acknowledging Reika as well. Plus, researching over the years also helps to normalize what I’m sure is abnormal to others,” I admitted. “Now if I can meet a zombie…”

“Sadly, zombies aren’t real,” he concluded.

“Well…that’s misleading,” I whined. “All the emphasis on zombie movies and shows and they’re not real? Talk about false advertising.”

“I love how you’re truthfully disappointed by this discovery.”

“I am. Zombies are life. Or…er…death. Cool death…okay, I’m not making sense.”

Ian laughed and shook his head. “Essentially, though the undead and their half-rotten, maggot-filled bodies are totally NOT exciting.”

“Hater,” I huffed, which made us both laugh. “You think you’ll be able to drive?”

“Mhmm. I’m not too drained. We should be fine, but we can always hotel it,” he suggested with a wink.

“Sam’s home.”

“I’ll tell him you’re staying in the office with me and sleeping in the private lounge.”

“We’re going to hell for all the lies we commit daily.” I sighed dramatically.

“Unlike you, I go to the confession box once a month.”

“What bullshit.” I laughed. “Your ass hasn’t stepped into a church since you ‘accidentally’ stole the bread for the offering because you were hungry!”

“Well, no one told me the bread was given to everyone,” Ian reasoned. “I thought it was just first come, first served.”

“You’re hopeless.” I giggled in glee.

“A hopeless romantic,” he teased and offered his hand. “I have a promise to uphold.”

“With no energy,” I commented with an amused look.

“I’ll always have energy for sex, Harper,” he vowed.

“Until you fall asleep trying to put on a condom.”

“You still holding that against me?” Ian whined. “It was one time and we’d been fucking for two hours.”

“Your prideful booty thought you could last one more round and failed miserably,” I concluded. “I’m allowed to remind you for the rest of your life. You’re lucky you have no more wolf shifter friends, or I’d purposely bring it up to taunt you.”

“You’re evil.” He shook his head in dismay but accepted my hand as I placed it in his. With his help, I got up, and he shut things down so we could prepare to leave.

“Guess we gotta be careful in general,” I suggested as I thought of everything we discussed.

“Yes,” Ian emphasized. “Try not to be alone if you have to go into the quieter parts of town or outside our property, like deeper in the forest. If you’re with the pack when they come back, I won’t be too worried, but if you feel anything’s off, run straight home.”

“Yes, Commander Chestwood,” I proudly stated as I saluted.

“Funny,” he tossed back with an eyeroll and kissed my cheek.

“By the way, what does Somnum…whatever that long word is, mean?”

“Somnum, Amor Meus Aesternus?” Ian repeated it smoothly. “Sleep, my Eternal Love.”

“Aww.” I clenched my heart in pure awareness. “Really? That’s so romantic.”

“Only women get so touch by something so simple.”

“It’s far from simple,” I complained. “I wanna be called Eternal Love.”

“Not Wolf Tamer?”

“Not when that’s an option.”

“Guess it’ll depend on the mood then,” Ian concluded. “You’re not going to that party though.”

“Aww, are you trying to be funny again?”

“Harper.” Ian frowned.

“Why don’t you just come with me?”

“Because I know I’ll be working late, especially with the progress of everything.”

“How about I go with Kira and she stays with me until you arrive later in the night? You don’t need to take the day off. Just end an hour earlier? The club is remaining open till two am until Christmas.”

Ian looked like he was considering it, and I couldn’t help but wrap my arms around his waist and lean in close.

“Please, Ian?” I sincerely begged. “We haven’t gone clubbing in a really long time and it’s supposed to be the party of the year. Someone’s funding the whole thing so it’s going to be the best in comparison to the lame dances we’ve had. You know I love to dance. It would be nice to enjoy a little downtime. Especially with you.”

One look into my eyes and he caved.

“Fine,” he whispered. “As long as no one hits on you.”

“Well now you’re pushing your luck,” I concluded.

He growled lowly and roughly kissed me. “You’re mine, remember?”

“Oh, I remember, Sweet Mate,” I seductively hummed. “Would be nice to just emphasize it to the rest of the world on the dance floor.”

“I suck at dancing.”

“Says the guy who knows how to grind like you were born in the Caribbean like Kira stated,” I noted. “Don’t act like she didn’t see you all over me during that last party we went to.”

“I was so drunk. I barely remember it,” he reasoned.

“Same.” I laughed. “Oh god, let’s not remember it. Poor Kira and O’Neil practically dragged our dead-weight, drunk-ass selves out of there. I swear if it wasn’t for our metabolism, we would have been drunk for a week and hungover for two.”

“Good times, though.”

“Can’t deny that,” I gleefully agreed. He took my hand in his once more, and we headed out and back downstairs until we were outside again and looking up at the sunset sky.

“You’re far too good to me, Ian.” I couldn’t help but express my gratitude as I admired the various shades of color that blended in so marvellously. It was captivating to watch.

“From the girl who’s my whole world,” Ian whispered. “I’d do anything for you, Harper.”

“I know.” There’d never been a doubt in my mind since the night he found me. He hugged me from behind, resting his chin on my head as we stared at the sky with a peek of the sun upon the horizon, dipping lower and lower with each minute that passed by.

“We’ll figure this all out,” I mostly stated to myself.

Ian tightened his hold around me.

“We will. Together,” he vowed.

Yes. Together.

17

LUNCH PREP AND DESSERT

“I‘m fine, Dolly. Feel free to take as much time as you need at the other sanctuary,” I pleaded as I got more ingredients out of the fridge. “Ian’s working all week. You know he just got promoted and everything so his workload doubled. He’ll be home late and stuff. Sam? Ah…” I paused what I was doing to peek into the hall, catching onto the approaching footsteps before Sam emerged.

“Uh, hold on,” I told Dolly and met Sam’s annoyed expression with a blank one. “Dolly’s asking if you’re gonna be home the next few days.”

“Nope,” he coldly replied. I could smell the alcohol from here, which I was expecting to catch long before he made his sudden appearance. “I got some stuff to take care of down in Alberta. I won’t be back till next week.”

I couldn’t help but scan his attire from the rugged jeans with a few stains to his unbuttoned shirt. “You’re going now?”

“Yup.”

“You’re not taking any clothes with you?”

“Not needed.”

“Do you want me to make something for you to eat?” I offered. I knew I didn’t have to, but he looked rather wrecked, as if he’d spent all night drinking and just woke up.

“Not necessary. I’ll pick something up on the way at one of those convenience stores.”

“You’re driving?”

“Yes, Harper the Investigator. Anything else?”

“Isn’t it rather unsafe?” I really shouldn’t give a hoot about what he does, but I did want to still project the “good daughter” vibes with Dolly on the line.

If she wasn’t inquiring, I would have let him stroll right out and take his attitude and alcoholic problems with him.

“I’m a grown-ass adult, Harper. Mind your business and get back to cooking or whatever the fuck you’re doing.”

“I’m making lunch,” I grumbled and rolled my eyes. “Don’t go calling me then when you get in trouble. Like last time, when Ian and I had to bring his truck over because you got yours in a ditch.”

That shut him up real fast and my tolerance to entertain him went cold.

“Sam’s leaving for Alberta. Don’t worry, I’ll stay at the station if I get lonely. They have a really nice lounge and the bed is super comfy. No, I don’t need a new bed, Dolly. YES, I’ve outgrown the old one but it’s just for sleeping. Not a big deal. Reserve that money for the sanctuary.”

I heard Sam’s grumbling remarks that were all incoherent before the front door slammed shut. It was strong enough to knock one of the canvas pictures from the wall, which made me sigh as I closed the fridge and headed down the hall.

“You know, you could always get a divorce, Dolly,” I decided to offer. Sam had changed over the years. I didn’t know what was going on honestly, but he’d gone from a loving, kind man to well…a drunk alcoholic with anger problems and a major attitude issue.

I thought I carried a sassy attitude with Kira’s influence, but Sam? Goodness, he might as well have been born a woman because he sure acted like a bitch these days. And don’t get me started on the few times I’d caught him fighting with Dolly.

It was becoming clear that financial-wise, we weren’t sitting on a very stable platform. It felt like Dolly was trying to hide it by going to various sanctuaries to “help out”, but I wasn’t the naive little girl I used to be.

All those vacations made us appear to be well off in society, even though we went to a “poor” school in comparison to the elite school outside of our town. But it was becoming more apparent with Sam’s added drinking problem and lack of work that we were surviving on what funds the government provided monthly and Dolly’s side hustles.

I was sure Dolly assumed Ian was contributing to the food in the fridge and other bills like standard phone bills and such, but I hadn’t disclosed a few things of my own.

One of them being O’Neil making a little fund for me and Ian. I hadn’t known about it until I’d reached eighteen and O’Neil transferred the bank account officially to my name. I was completely shocked by the birthday present, but it was one of the reasons why we’d been surviving without much trouble as I sorted out the whole inheritance situation.

There were also plenty of scholarships and grants I qualified for because I was a “poor” student with perfect grades. I didn’t need to do the extra courses I was taking realistically, but the bonus scholarships, grants, and further education to help me when I did figure out what I wanted to accomplish career-wise was too good to be true.

Unlike most of my peers who flaunted their money with the latest designer handbags and other purchases to make them the “cool” kids on the block, I saved everything I could. With my wardrobe, there wasn’t really much to spend on.

When I’d been younger, I’d envied those girls because they were able to afford to be cool while I couldn’t, but as time passed, I realized financial security made me feel a whole lot better than being broke.

Especially when I knew things were going south with Dolly and Sam.

Now if only I could encourage her to get a divorce.

It was clear as day that they didn’t love one another anymore, or maybe the added addictions of Sam’s alcohol and potential drug problems were what burdened the solid relationship they had. Since Dolly took the plate of still being a parent while O’Neil was basically the better father figure even though he hadn’t adopted either of us, I was trying to make Dolly understand that her happiness was what was most important.

Why be with someone now that we were grown?

We could take care of ourselves. All of the wolves listened to me when they were on the sanctuary grounds, which meant Dolly could literally be elsewhere and not worry. The property itself was paid for so all we had to worry about were the essentials of food, water, and gas.

I was honestly even grateful Ian had saved enough to purchase his own truck a few months ago so he wouldn’t have to be sabotaged by Sam’s sudden impulses to go on random vacations everywhere instead of working like he’d promised to be doing for months now.

This relationship was simply toxic, and it felt like only I had a solid chance to talk her out of it.

Dolly gave me another one of her many excuses, like the timing wasn’t right and maybe he’d change once he toned down the alcohol.

Loads of bullshit excuses.

“Please think about it, Dolly,” I pleaded with her, my soft voice projecting my honest worry for her. Reaching down to pick up the canvas picture, I stared at the image of Dolly, Sam, Ian, and me.

This picture was taken the day of my official adoption fourteen years ago, and it was crazy how different we’d all become.

We’d grown, changed. Sadly, not all progress is positive on this path of life.

“You deserve better. Don’t think Ian and I don’t see it,” I noted. I listened to her nervous chuckle that couldn’t hide the true sadness of the situation. I wondered if Dolly blamed herself for this fallout simply because she couldn’t give Sam his own child and adopted us?

“Anyways, I’ll be alright, Dolly. Really. Just focus on what you need to do, and if you need additional help, don’t hesitate to ask. I’m almost done with the last bit of courses so I’ll be able to help at the other sanctuaries with you,” I concluded, knowing the conversation wouldn’t go on much further if it was on the topic of a potential divorce. “Yes, yes. Okay. Love you too. Bye.”

Hanging up, I rose back up just as the lock on the door turned and the door was opened.

“Did you forget your keys?” I questioned, only to meet those silver eyes that were confused about why I was at the door. “Ian?”

“Hey, babe,” he greeted and looked at the canvas in my grasp with interest. “I’m going to assume Sam slammed the door again?”

My smile answered his question, and he sighed and shook his head.

“He’s stupid.”

“Stupidly drunk, may I add.” I sighed and placed the canvas back on the hook in its designated place. “Why are you home? It’s only lunchtime.”

“Lunch was extended for a few hours,” he admitted as he closed the door and locked it once more. I couldn’t help but walk over the remaining steps to greet him with a hug and kiss.

It made me feel like we were some couple living on our own in the great wilderness or something along the lines of a mountain romance like in those movies.

Whatever tension was lingering in his muscles seemed to loosen as he kissed me right back while gliding his hands along the sides of my waist and gripping my hips.

Breathless, we pulled back to stare into each other’s eyes as he gave me a sweet smile.

“I’m home,” he teased like this was some sort of daily occurrence.

“Welcome home, honey,” I returned.

The moment was bittersweet as we shared one more kiss before he followed me to the kitchen.

“You never answered why you’re back,” I voiced and gestured for him to sit down at the table while I got back to gathering everything I needed to make lunch.

It was basically brunch because I hadn’t eaten all day.

“I knew I’d come back for lunch,” he admitted. “Though I wasn’t expecting my lovely girlfriend to be home and be willing to make me some.”

“It feels like we’re a married couple,” I quietly confessed as he took a deep inhale and let it out as if my aroma was simply delightful to his nostrils.

“We will be one day,” he assured me. “We’ll have a nice, big cabin home surrounded by beautiful forestry. We’ll get to enjoy being together in the mornings before attending to our commitments. Then we’ll spend dinner together and after a nice shower, we’ll wind down for the night.”

“And throw sex somewhere in there,” I concluded.

He laughed. “I swear, I sometimes wonder which one of us is hornier. You or me?”

“Honestly, I probably am.” I giggled. I had no shame at all - not like I should feel ashamed, to begin with.

It took me a while to get really confident with my sexual needs, and Kira’s teachings of empowering yourself and the feminine energy we had control of was probably what really drilled in the practices that encouraged me to be physically, mentally, spiritually, and sexually balanced.

Plus, it wasn’t like we had sex every day. Once or twice a week was really a blessing with Ian’s recent schedule, and with the new revelation that condoms weren’t a necessity, I was all over the idea of fucking whenever we could - and not get caught, though I wouldn’t deny the idea was far too tempting to ignore. But fuck, that would be risky.

“That’s perfectly fine with me,” Ian confessed with that husky tone that was doing far too much down under when I had to be focusing on not burning the pancakes.

The muffled melody of a phone ringing caught our attention, and Ian groaned.

“Work?”

“Sadly,” Ian admitted and moved away to walk down the hall to his work bag that he’d left at the door. “Give me a second.”

“Okay,” I called out and returned to making breakfast. Ian took a while as he was clearly focused on whatever was being discussed on the other end, so I leaned over to turn the radio on, making sure the volume wasn’t too high so it wouldn’t inconsiderately disrupt his work call.

The music was a classic from a girl band. The song “Cater to You” played softly through the mini unicorn-themed radio O’Neil had gotten me for my eleventh birthday. I’d brought it to the kitchen since I was enjoying my stage of wanting to cook all the time, and having some soft music playing in the background helped the time pass by a lot faster.

Humming to the music, I danced around as I continued making the pancakes, remembering the few times Kira would play this and other soul and R&B classics in the gym during stretch sessions to relax us after a thrilling workout.

It was a shame that I never really got to listen to this type of music often, but Kira’s playlists never disappointed in delivering me some new tunes.

Further flowing to the beat, I was moving my hips, humming, and making breakfast like some pro chef doing what he loved during dinner rush like in movies, so when Ian came back, I didn’t notice in the slightest.

I felt his energy first, which was something really new because I’d never truly felt it as strong as I was now. It not only arrived with Ian’s cinnamon spice scent, which was the strongest I’d smelt it without him being all up in my personal space, but his energy felt like a soft breeze of warmth carrying specks of wood and pine that wrapped around me.

His hands lightly landed onto my hips, but they weren’t possessive in the slightest as they seemed to encourage my moves as his body swayed with mine. My low giggle was almost sultry in nature as I leaned my head back to rest against Ian’s shoulder before turning my head to enjoy his lips, which swept along mine before pressing firmly on them.

The kiss didn’t hinder our swaying movement, and the slow jams kept coming as the song ended only to invite another song that I recalled was “Seduction” by Usher.

We stopped when I had to take the pancakes out of the pan, but it didn’t stop Ian. He began to trail kisses down my neck to my right shoulder while he purposely pressed against my ass - making sure I was aware of his hardness.

“Keep cooking, baby,” he growled into my ear before sucking at my lobe. My back arched at the unexpected move, all while his hand glided to my front side and tugged at the fitted elastic material of my running shorts to press against my pussy.

Reika totally nudged me to get out of my dazed moment of lust to do what he asked - to keep cooking - knowing damn well that if I didn’t, he may not give us what our body was currently begging for.

Sex. Brunch sex? Dessert before breakfast?

I sprayed the surface of the pan with avocado oil and began to attempt to continue my heart-shaped pancake duty even though I was more concentrated on the kisses trailing down my spine, kiss after kiss, with licking and sucking scattered on my flesh.

I somehow survived putting on the pancakes and made it to put on the bacon and sausages on the other mini pan before my legs were further spread and I quickly realized Ian wasn’t only tugging at my running shorts, he was on his damn knees.

My boyfriend is about to eat me up while I make pancakes?! Is this a dream? This had to be a dream.

The classic jams kept coming as “Do It To Me” by Usher came on. That song was going to become my motivation anthem because that was exactly what I wanted Ian to do.

To eat me up and fuck me before we enjoyed our food.

All I could do was wait in suspense as the fabric slid down my legs. I waited for his verbal instruction to lift my leg up just so he could slip the material from my ankles.

Where my shorts went after that would need to be discovered after the steamy needs were done with, but I quivered at the mere feel of Ian’s head between my legs.

“I can smell your arousal, baby,” he purposely moaned against the fabric of my panties that I knew wasn’t very dry.

Not in the slightest, since my wetness only grew.

“Pancakes.”

Thank goodness for the reminder, or these delicious pancakes would be burnt to crisps - for good reason, but such a waste of food.

I wanted to do things right here and now because this was the first time Ian was being so daring and no way would I fuck it up.

Do it right now and he’ll certainly do this again.

I felt like he waited for me to flip the pancakes, bacon, and sausages on purpose before he whispered, “Good girl.”

Alright, that fucking turned both me and Reika on.

His patience was clearly gone as he didn’t hesitate to press his nose right to my entrance and sniff deeply, leaving me feeling like a panting dog waiting for this man to open the pathway to Pleasureville.

He tugged at my panties, moving them right aside and breathing heavily so his hot breath brushed along my equally hot pussy, which was quaking with the urge to be pampered and relieved.

He enticed my pussy folds by licking them slowly with that long tongue of his, enjoying my milky skin that glistened with juices. I thankfully reminded myself about the food, working on taking it out of the pan while Ian continued to tease me.

The last pancake almost fell with the spatula as Ian’s tongue dove right into me like this was his last supper, thrusting and sucking me like all those strings of patience had been severed by a blade.

“Shit, Ian!” My hand gripped the handle of the oven because Ian wasn’t giving me any mercy.

“So fucking delicious,” he mumbled into my damn pussy, increasing his aggravating sucking and thrusting until I was smashed with an orgasm that left me whimpering as my legs shook while I tried desperately to keep standing.

My release didn’t slow him down, and I thought I’d lose my fucking mind because the pleasure, heightened sensitivity, and thrilling level of femininity I felt in this moment was outstanding.

“Ian! Fuck, AH!”

He had to grip my legs firmly to stop me from falling, while I attempted to hold my weight with my free hand, gripping the oven handle for dear life.

When he freed me from his captivity, he made sure to lick every drop of cum as if it were sacred nectar that couldn’t be wasted mindlessly. He rose back onto his feet, his hands moving along my body once more before his hand moved to grip my throat from the front, forcing my head back for him to have his way with my lips.

Kissing him with my release cloaking his lips was sensationally gratifying, while his really hard bulge teased my ass once more.

“Do you want me?” As if it were the question of the century, I answered by tugging on his bottom lip roughly before sucking at it. He kissed me all over again, but I purposely rubbed my behind against him, knowing damn well it would encourage him to start another rollercoaster.

“Turn the stove off.”

He didn’t have to tell me twice as I turned the knobs of stovetops, all while the sound of him unzipping his pants left me in spiked readiness. When I felt his thick manhood up against my cheeks, I shuddered in impatience while the smell of pancakes, bacon, and arousal mixed in the air, blending perfectly for the mood.

He moved his length between my legs, stroking my entrance to cloak his thick, veiny cock with whatever creamy nectar I’d created in the short period of time. I was already wet for him all over again, and he absolutely loved it.

“Nice and wet,” he hummed into my ear. “You want my cock for brunch, baby?”

“Mhmm,” I moaned. “Please?”

His low chuckle sent electric shocks up my arms which had fallen victim to goosebumps. All of this felt unreal, but it was very real and unfolding at the perfect pace.

“Your wish is my command,” he sang with a sensual, husky voice, a second before he inched himself into my throbbing pussy.

The way we moaned in relief made my heart swell in glee, all while my body was already going crazy with lust and desire for this to get moving.

He was all the way in, his cock twitching within my heated walls that quivered around his manhood, but his stillness wasn’t to torture me - nor was his hand, which moved to cover my mouth to cue me to be quiet.

I caught onto the scent of alcohol and cigarettes, and my heart went into overdrive as I realized the front door was opening.

“I forgot my damn passport! Harper!” Sam’s voice echoed through the house, and I couldn’t register if I was scared or damn right excited to be caught in the act.

I expected Ian to pull out and practically toss me across the room, but he hooked his arm firmly around me and somehow carried me while his cock was still locked inside me until I found myself bent over in the pantry closet while the little white door remained open.

“Harper is out back, Sam,” Ian called out, and I had to use one hand to cover my mouth in hopes I didn’t make a hint of noise.

“Ian?” Sam’s drunk slur of his name was followed with shuffling footsteps before I felt like he was mere steps from seeing the truth. While my heart was beating wildly at how close we were to getting caught, my pussy was living its best fantasy as it squeezed Ian’s cock as if I wanted to milk him.

I caught onto the low rumble against his throat while his hand unhooked me only to rub at my ass and squeeze.

This is insane.

“What you doing here, boy? You skipping work?”

“Nah, renovations.” Ian spoke as calmly as ever. “Why you back?”

“Forgot that bloody passport,” Sam huffed in annoyance. “Where did I put the fucker? Harper knows where it is.”

Fuck. He always leaves it in the glovebox in the truck.

“Glovebox, Wolfie.” Reika’s voice was unexpected and with the shift in my mental space, it almost felt like an outside connection had hooked up to my mind and disappeared not a second later.

“It’s in the glovebox, Sam,” Ian casually replied.

Holy fucking what did you do?

“Mates can mentally communicate, you know.”

NO! I don’t know!

“You’re welcome.” I swear, if Reika could smugly smile, she would do exactly that.

“Glovebox. Fuck. Probably there, dammit,” Sam cursed. “What are you doing in the pantry?”

Alright. We’re doomed.

“It would be intriguing running through the forest half-naked and adjusting to our new life as the female version of Tarzan.”

I don’t wanna be a Jane Porter!

“Who’s that?”

Reika! You watched Tarzan with me and you don’t remember the woman?

“Hmm. Probably fell asleep.”

Ugh!

“Just grabbing the Tylenol,” Ian noted.

“In the pantry?” Sam practically laughed. “Boy, it’s in the medical cabinet. I need some.”

“Nah. It’s right here.” Ian purposely moved, which made his cock slide a little deeper than expected and I had to shut my eyes closed and pray that this wouldn’t be the end.

“Oh shit. It’s there,” Sam stated in surprise.

“You know Dolly throws the medicine all over the place. Need some?”

“Ya. Toss two tabs over here.”

Ian did the deed flawlessly without moving from his spot.

“Need water?”

“Water is for weak bitches,” he concluded. “Got some booze in the truck. I’m heading out. Tell Harper to make sure the house is locked and shit. Dolly called me, talking my ear off about overdoing my own shit, but she’s at the sanctuary working like we’re fucking broke. Jeez. She better not be cheating on me.”

Footsteps began to fade before Sam called out once more. “See you later!”

“You’ll be back?” Ian asked.

Sam laughed. “Fuck nah. See ya in two or three weeks, boy. Make sure you ain’t skipping work, you here. I don’t want to hear bullshit from those fat, donut-eating fuckers who think they’re better than me. I was in this industry before them and I’m living my best fucking life!”

“I’ll go back to work after brunch.”

“Cool! Bye,” he called out and slammed the door but with less force than before. The moment I heard the lock, I almost passed right out in relief.

“Holy fucking grace of Mother Moon,” I said in one breath as I exhaled. “I swear my heart can’t take that thrilling madness.”

“Yet your pussy is squeezing me like I’m now her prisoner,” Ian voiced and suddenly he was pulling out, spinning me around, and kissing me intensely. I didn’t stand a chance as he backed me right up until my back pressed against the shelves, but I was tired of waiting as my arms hooked around his neck and I jumped so he had no choice but to catch me as my legs hooked around his waist.

He spun us around, kissing me urgently while he squeezed my ass tightly. My back was now against the pantry door, and he took further advantage of the leverage to leave one of my ass cheeks and direct his cock back into me.

We groaned in panting satisfaction before we were kissing and he was pounding into me.

The sheer pleasure was unmeasurable as my moans and heavy breathing echoed around the small space. Ian grunted and moaned my name, thrusting into me like a wild boar racing to survive.

My pussy rippled and clenched, the sensual assault beginning to creep through my entire body as I felt my approaching climax.

“Shit, Ian,” I cried out, feeling so fucking close to cumming.

“Hold on a bit more,” Ian urged before his hot mouth claimed mine, muffling the spiked sounds of my moans. I was on a mission to keep myself from letting go, my body writhing as I further arched my back. My fingers gripped his long strands of hair, getting tangled in their silky oasis while sweat dripped down my body from the heat of our surroundings.

And our very adventurous actions.

“Ian, fuck. Baby…please…I can’t.” The edge of euphoria was right there. So damn close I could feel the threads of pleasure that would wrap around me like a web and keep me captive as I fell into a pleasure oblivion.

I knew Ian was just as close, his groans and grunts loud and clear while his grinding thrusts were erratic in movement.

“Cum, baby. Cum for me!” Ian encouraged, and those words left me undone as my release crashed against my senses at full force. My rippling scream surely could have echoed through the damn house, but I couldn’t care less as I rode the waves of arousal that pulsed through me until I felt like a limp noodle with limbs.

Ian groaned through clenched teeth, his body still. He somehow managed to hold onto my full weight while he shot out his hot cum, filling me up before he breathed heavily to catch his breath. He further pressed me against the door’s surface, resting his head against my shoulder as he continued to inhale deeply and quickly.

I could feel the droplets of sweat that dripped onto my shoulders, while I was just as sweaty and exhausted.

“I think I should make coffee,” I noted in between breaths.

Ian chuckled in amusement, the sound revealing his own exhaustion before he lightly kissed the nape of my neck.

“I think I’ll need an espresso if I want to get back to work,” he admitted. “And some Tylenol. Fuck. That was good, but goodness, I’m getting a headache.”

“That’s cause you did vigorous activity before eating anything, silly,” I noted as I leaned back to look into his eyes. He didn’t hesitate to lean in to kiss me once more, the two of us enjoying the moment of intimacy as he slowly helped me lower my legs.

They were still as shaky as ever, which only encouraged Ian to hold me at my waist while we made out. “The pancakes are probably cold,” I muttered against his lips.

“Microwaves can solve that just fine,” he concluded with a playful grin.

“Let’s get you some Tylenol,” I encouraged.

“I have to go to the medicine cabinet.”

“What?” I gave him an odd look. “You gave Sam Tylenol minutes ago.”

“Oh. That wasn’t Tylenol,” he admitted.

“Then what the fuck was it?”

“Colace.”

“What is Colace?!”

“Stool softener?” He didn’t sound too sure. “Basically, that long ride to Alberta is gonna be interrupted a few times.”

“Omg! He’s gonna have diarrhea for days!”

“Good.” Ian didn’t show an ounce of pity. “Then he’ll make sure to never leave you alone unexpectedly. Not like he’d protect you the way I would.”

“You’re so overprotective.”

“I like to protect what’s mine,” he growled.

“Ya, by giving people stool softener.” I laughed but hugged him. “I like that side of you, Ian. Do that more often.”

“Yes, Mate,” he purred. “Now, let’s really get to brunch. I’m starving.”

“Me too.” I giggled but enjoyed our hug even more.

Dessert before brunch needs to be a weekly tradition.

18

SOLAR RUNS AND STUDY GOSSIP

“We should turn around,” Reika encouraged. “We’re kind of far out.”

Good point.

I came to a stop, needing a second to catch my breath as I placed my hands upon my knees. My body was aching like crazy - the good kind of aching - but this run was definitely needed.

I’d needed to get some fresh air into my lungs and embrace the wondrous world of nature surrounding me. My run should have been a quick fifteen to twenty minutes so I could get back, shower, and make my way to the library to study some material I knew would be on the final exam coming up, but it felt like an eternity since I’d surrounded myself with Mother Nature.

With the wolves not around for weeks now, I’d forgotten what it was like to run through the forest at full speed while enjoying the pulsing adrenaline coursing through my veins.

After brunch, Ian and I spoke a bit just about random stuff. It had been a while since we’d shared a meal and discussed stuff other than work. He was far less stressed compared to when he’d arrived, and with some Tylenol to tame his brewing headache - making sure it wasn’t Colace - he left to go back to the station.

I knew he wouldn’t be home till past midnight, which made me tempted to go to the library and study until eleven. I had more than enough energy to even rollerblade there, and then I could chill at the station lounge until Ian was done and we could go home together.

It honestly was a brilliant plan, and I was excited to snuggle Ian tonight.

Rising up from my hunched position, I sucked in a deep breath, letting it out slowly as I closed my eyes.

I immersed myself in this tranquil moment as my shut eyes contributed to the spike of my other heightened senses. Various smells taunted me, like the forest’s pines, flowers, musky soil, and hints of rainwater. It was forecasted to rain in the coming weeks before we were potentially hit with snow, but as of now, the weather was absolutely perfect.

Not too hot. Not too cold.

I could get lost standing here all day, the soft breeze lifting the fallen, colorful leaves up and allowing them to dance around me. After blinking my eyes a few times, I looked up to admire the intensity of the sun, all while the wind grew stronger with each passing second.

My lips morphed into a pout as it felt like something was crawling upon my skin. Even looking around didn’t deliver a sense of calm as I rubbed my arms like it was suddenly cold.

What the hell?

Reika was on high alert as she suddenly growled in my mind. It was a sound I’d rarely heard from her, and it was more frightening to see all her white hairs lifting up as rainbow-colored energy spiked around her.

My entire arm was riddled with goosebumps, but what worried me was this heavy sense of someone watching me.

Waiting to get the advantage and do whatever deed they were encouraged to accomplish.

No matter how many times my eyes darted around as my body moved to aid the scan of my surroundings, I couldn’t pick up on the enemy threat.

Shit….where is this culprit?

I was frightened to move because I knew I’d go straight into a sprint, but what could I do to get out of this situation?

That was when I heard it.

A melody from afar. I thought it was some type of creature, but the longer I yearned to hear the mystical calling, the stronger it became. The melody was soft yet held an energy that distracted anyone who listened to it.

I felt the urge to follow its calling, the growing desire to discover where such a magical sound resonated rising higher with every second that passed. Reika felt the same way as her offensive growls grew silent and she too listened to the song.

Is a male singing?

Moving seemed like the only way to find a solution, and I did exactly that, though I didn’t move with haste. I confidently walked through the forest like it was my domain, like I was a ruler who protected these lands and deserved to be invited to this serene unknown.

By the time I reached an unexpected clearing, the singing melody was loud and clear, and the rich male voice shifted to a higher register that left my heart full of warmth.

As I stepped further into the circular space, my eyes took in the miniature waterfall to my left while a little pool of water sparkled with the sun’s glimmering rays.

It was like finding a hidden paradise, but that wasn’t my grand prize.

A man stood on a rock in the middle of the serene waters, his voice still carrying through the air while his eyes were closed. His hair was a brilliant green, a mix of emerald with hues of lime green that carried a golden aspect to its appearance.

The wind passed by us, carrying those long, silky strands that were past his shoulders, while the sun’s warmth made his pale flesh look like a mannequin of perfection. His clothing was very professional, as if he’d come from a prestigious school: silky white dress shirt, dark navy blue pants, and a tie that held red, gold, and teal stripes.

He wore a pair of silver glasses, but those spectacles couldn’t hide the immense beauty of his golden orbs that revealed themselves the moment he opened them to acknowledge my presence. The hovering energy that had made me fearful was gone as peacefulness replaced every aspect of my body, but his gaze was hypnotic, his eyes dancing between orange and gold.

He finished the final verse of the song, allowing it to end as the last note echoed around us.

Then there was silence.

A silence that felt like the entire forest, the land beneath us, and the sky above had enjoyed the rare performance, and we all needed a moment to truly appreciate its fitting conclusion.

The man smiled and I’d be lying if I pretended my heart hadn’t skipped a few beats. Men with attractive beauty like his were rather non-existent in these parts. Men always went above and beyond to emphasize their masculinity, which was why a good chunk of the guys from my school would go to the gym.

Even if all they did was take selfies of them “working out” and sit around to check out the few girls who actually worked up a sweat.

His features were softer in nature, like those of a male model, but as he slipped his hands into his pockets and began to skip effortlessly from small rock to small rock, I could clearly see his athleticism as his long legs gave him an advantage in crossing the vast space between us.

He made it look so easy - almost graceful - before he landed on the patch of grass that was three steps from where I quietly stood.

He was tall, much taller than I’d anticipated when he’d been so far away. He was taller than Ian at 6′6″ but his slender build made him look even taller to me. His smile remained on those delicate pink lips, and he didn’t hesitate to close off the remaining distance between us so he was before me.

Compared to other men who fought to be rather intimidating, his overall aura was very relaxed. I could tell he was observing me, and I guess I was rudely doing the same because I hadn’t yet introduced myself or said anything for that matter, but his energy was so familiar.

It was like I knew this man before, from the past, which obviously made no sense because we’d never met prior to this. But how my body wished we did, because he was outstandingly beautiful and thanks to him, I was out of that odd situation.

“Liked it?” His voice was tender, almost like he carried a shyness to him, but all I could pick up on was his bold confidence.

“I’m still trying to get over the fact you were singing so professionally.” My voice was but a whisper as I tried to gather myself out of the fog I’d been in while getting to this place. “You remind me of a fae king in the depths of the forest trying to lure lunch.” His smile further widened as he arched an eyebrow tauntingly, leaving me to frown before I hesitantly mumbled, “Which I’m hoping isn’t what this is, or else I fucked up.”

The snicker that left him should have been a musical note because its tone was as delightful as this man’s energy overall.

“Sadly, I’m not a fae king,” he noted. “Or prince, for that matter.”

“Had to make that clarification, huh?”

“If I didn’t, you may be confused,” he reasoned. “Wouldn’t want to give the wrong impression.”

“You’re definitely giving me an impression.”

Okay, am I seriously flirting right now?

“Positive?” he offered, and I swore he leaned in closer because his scent wrapped around me - mint with a hint of rosemary.

“A very positive one,” I concluded, like a judge panelist on a game show. “Ten out of ten.”

“For?”

“Attractiveness.” I spoke far too fast before I quickly corrected, “I meant performance! Yes, performance.” My correction obviously amused him as his eyes twinkled with merriment before he offered his hand out.

“Pleasure to meet you…” he began and prompted me to answer.

“Harper,” I answered and placed my hand in his. “Harper Blake.”

His grin was priceless as he lifted my hand up until his lips pressed lightly on the back, leaving me breathless at the cool touch that made it feel like I was in the middle of a pool of water, floating in its weightless orbit.

I may have misheard the sound, but a howl came from afar, catching my attention as I turned my head to my left. For a split second, I caught the scent of pumpkin, which made me pout and mutter, “Man, either I’m craving pumpkin spice lattes or there are pumpkin flowers in this divine place.”

“Do you like pumpkins?”

“Not necessarily,” I admitted. “Sorry. I bet that was random. I didn’t catch your name.”

“Levi,” he introduced. “Maybe you need a good drink after running this far out.”

“Levi? Wow. One of my wolves that I look after at the sanctuary is named Levi,” I reasoned with a beaming smile.

“Ah, I know them. The pack of wolves, right? Endangered?”

“Yes.” That surprised me. “How do you know about Sacred Moon?”

“Came here years ago. By years, I mean when I was a kid. It was with my other friends. One of my friend’s family actually funded its creation. They didn’t want to call it by the family name, so they named it Sacred Moon. We got to name the wolves.”

“Holy crap. Ian’s talked about you guys! The group of boys who named the wolves after themselves?”

“Yup.” He bobbed his head in agreement. “I know Ian. Acquaintance, though I haven’t seen him in a few weeks since I’ve been at school.”

“Where do you go?”

“The elite school up north? It isn’t too far from here actually, though you go more west. I like coming down here to meditate. I normally come with Damien since these parts are getting kind of dangerous with hunters and such, but he’s studying and I needed a moment with Mother Nature.”

“Damien.” I smiled at the name as I absorbed all he was saying. “That’s nice. I’m really glad I got to meet you and listen to your voice. I know hunters are definitely a problem, but you’re not afraid of other animals like bears and wolves?”

“Nah,” he assured me. “There are a few wolves at elite the grounds that roam freely in the forest. Don’t know if you heard it, but that howl from before was probably one of them. They like to stalk me.”

“Stalk you.” I laughed. “I’m not surprised. Carter likes to stalk me whenever I come to the forest. He’s a possessive asshole of a wolf, but goodness, I love him lots.”

“Carter, huh.” Levi seemed intrigued. “Our Carter ain’t much different, though he left my ass alone since he’s dealing with some things in town this week. Business stuff.”

“If you’re friends with a Carter and Damien, does that mean you know the twins?” I was far too excited to get an answer to this new mystery.

“Hayden and Heston?” he offered. “They sometimes go by Hay and Hess because they don’t really trust a lot of people. They’re super nice, but you know nice people always get taken advantage of if they’re not careful.”

“That’s true.” That was the honest reality of life itself. “Their wolves are super playful and active.”

“No surprise. Hayden and Heston play multiple sports at school, though they really shine when they dance. They actually dance competitively.”

“No way.”

“Yup. People believe they’re the new Les Twins, like that twin duo that won various championships many years ago. They’re retired now, but our twins may have the potential to take their crown if they keep it up.”

“That’s outstanding,” I whispered. “Man. You’re making me want to meet everyone together. It would be nice for you all to see Ian. I’m not sure how often you get to see him, but he just got a promotion at the police station, and he’s really doing wonders to try to tame the crime rate that’s basically through the roof.”

“That’s amazing,” Levi seemed impressed before his expression grew serious. “Ya. The crime rate has been rather ridiculous. I can see why though.”

“Why?” I was craving some information, especially if it could potentially help Ian find the proper trail to these hunters and stop the senseless killings.

“Let’s walk and talk,” he encouraged. “Even though it’s just the two of us, I’d rather get you back to your place before the sun goes down. These parts aren’t safe at night.”

“That’s true,” I agreed as we began to move away from the hidden paradise. It was fall and heading toward winter, so sunset was a whole lot earlier.

He took the lead but walked at a pace where I could easily keep up.

“It’s a few things, but basically they want to sell the land.”

“Wait, the land?” I stared at him as we continued to walk down the path. It wasn’t a smart move because I tripped a second later, but Levi caught me.

“Be careful,” he encouraged and helped me up. “You can hold my hand so you don’t trip on anything.”

“Okay.” I appreciated his help, and I didn’t mind the gesture since it wasn’t romantic or anything.

With my hand in his, we continued walking as he jumped back into the previous conversation.

“Ya. I think some big financial buffs want to buy the whole town out, honestly. They want to start with these parts and move into town.”

“But these parts are owned by the Andersons,” I reasoned.

“I heard about that,” he admitted and looked over my shoulder. “But I’ve been hearing rumors that they’re selling.”

Wait, what?!

“Who said that?” I was flabbergasted by the news.

“The rich people are talking about it. I know because my friend is dealing with the pressure of it. I think they want to make the entire town a bunch of condo complexes and coffee shops for the elite school students. Maybe add a high-end shopping complex where the students can dine and shop for luxury handbags and stuff. It’s a bit of a distance to the campus but it would make loads of money since it’s cheaper than staying on campus, and you know a lot of the elite students enjoy showing off their exquisite cars.”

“No kidding,” I admitted and tried not to sound utterly disgusted. “Buying out the town is going to cut off a bunch of people’s livelihoods. The shops, family businesses, homes, gym, library, and the local school will go under. If they’re going to make everything expensive, it’s not like they’re going to accommodate those who’ve lived here their whole lives. Where are they going to live?”

I knew for a damn fact that, no matter the number of students who flaunted that they had money, they were still living paycheque to paycheque. Many of their parents were in their forties and had only worked one job for the majority of their adulthood after graduating college and university. How would they be able to promptly find a job elsewhere?

How would they afford to move and be able to find a place that was even close to the prices of this town’s abandoned house market?

It was well known that the town was becoming expensive, and the city was a bit higher. Outside of that, it was triple the price for everything. Unless you won the lottery, you wouldn’t be able to afford to live elsewhere.

“That’s the problem, but these investors don’t want to hear it. They don’t care about the people. They want profit, and they can make this land into a million-dollar mine. When you think about it, this town and the city nearby is the perfect spot for so many things. The main highways come down here and all the resources for oil and farming are nearby. I’m sure they want to do a bit of digging to see if they can find any gold as well. It sucks, and my friend and his family are fighting hard against them. I guess because we’re missing one or two more investors, they think they can overpower him.”

“Investors. Do they need to be a business or something?”

“Nah. At the end of the day, money talks, bullshit listens,” he reasoned. “If we buy them out, they can’t do anything, but if the Andersons sell their property, it’ll just be a domino effect. The land is big and government funded. Without it and the government’s watchful eye, this greedy bunch can do absolutely anything and no one can stop them.”

“We can’t let that happen,” Reika emphasized. “Do you think Kira can help?”

Maybe. We can ask her about it. She’d keep it a secret.

“If I knew someone…could I tell them about this?” I inquired as the path ended and I realized I was right at the entrance of Sacred Moon. “Wow. You still remember how to get here?”

“This place is really dear to me,” he admitted with a smile as he turned to face me. He squeezed my hand, then let go and nodded his head. “Feel free to tell who you need to. I can give you my number if necessary.”

“I’d love that.”

My phone was in the zipped pocket of my shorts. I got it out, and we quickly exchanged numbers.

“Make sure Ian doesn’t delete it,” he joked.

“I can’t make any promises.” I laughed. “When we were kids, he deleted some random kid named Bob’s number from my phone because he didn’t like it.”

“Bob was probably a jerk. He saved you the heartache,” Levi reasoned with an added wink.

We laughed together and he slid his glasses off and tucked them in the front part of his shirt.

“I better get going.”

“You’ll be okay by yourself?” I asked, only to catch onto a howl. Reika howled back in my head, and I couldn’t help but try to mimic the sound in my own way just for fun. I wasn’t expecting a reply, but the sound was responded to, a hollow sound from afar reaching my ears.

“The wolf responded!” I gleefully declared, noticing the soft expression on Levi’s face as he admired me.

“He did,” Levi replied. “Don’t worry. That wolf is my guardian of sorts, so he’ll make sure no one bothers me.”

“Okay.” It felt a bit sad to say goodbye, and maybe it showed on my face because he reached out and very gently moved a few strands that had escaped my ponytail to behind my ear.

“I’ll come to visit again. Maybe I’ll bring the others and we can meet the wolves,” he suggested.

“That would be amazing.” My entire mood lifted. “They’re on a mini-vacation of sorts, but when they’re back, I’ll call you.”

“Sounds good, Harper.”

With a wave, he began to make his way back on the trail, and I waited until his figure disappeared in the thick forest.

“He’s kind…like Ian. Good person.”

“Ya,” I quietly stated out loud. “We better hurry if we wanna reach town by nightfall.”

“Study time!” Reika encouraged.

Yes.

With a mental nod and one last look down the path, I smiled and vowed to find help for them.

We won’t lose our home. Not to investors. Not to anybody.

19

STUDY BUZZ AND CLAIMING MY OWN

“What’s with all the commotion just to get into the library?”

Your guess is as good as mine.

I had to practically push and shove to get to the entrance in front of the library. I was pretty sure that if the librarian didn’t recognize me and know I was actually here to study, I wouldn’t have had a chance of getting in.

The library seemed packed tonight, which only happened during exam week and even then, there weren’t this many girls. From the similar uniforms, I could only assume they were from the elite school, but I’d also seen these uniforms go on sale online from past graduates - and dropouts - and girls fighting to win the bid like it was any other branded item.

I tried to find a spot in a study area, but everywhere was literally full. It was becoming annoying as I went throughout the library trying to grab some sort of table or study room to get some work done.

If I really couldn’t find a place, I’d have to resort to heading to the station far earlier and I really didn’t want to disturb Ian. He’d already taken a big chunk of the afternoon on break for the renovations, so it would be rather selfish of me to waltz over and disturb him for my own quiet needs.

I noticed the crowd before one particular study room, and I couldn’t help but peek to see only one person was in there. Each room down this hall was two people per study room while the hall on the opposite end was for group sessions of six or more.

Making my way to the window with a bunch of excuses and coming through requests, I finally was at the front, which allowed me the perfect view of the one taking all the attention.

My assumption that there wasn’t very many good-looking guys was really being proven wrong today because the man that sat at the long table desk before a computer was absolutely gorgeous.

He was far more masculine than Levi, but that could have been because he was wearing short sleeves that really gave you a glimpse of his fine muscles. His short strands were styled off to one side. They were navy blue with hints of white, reminding me of snow.

His complexion was a tad tanner in comparison to mine, but his eyes were a striking sapphire that could take your breath away. He wore black-rimmed glasses that sat low on his face and he looked to be concentrating on his screen with some glances over to the open books on each side of his desk space.

He wasn’t even paying mind to the girls that were standing there like he was some sort of celebrity, but maybe his ignorance was what turned them on.

“Handsome and smart. Marshmallows!”

Marshmallows?

I took a sniff of the air but needed a second sniff as I closed my eyes to zone in on the specific scent. That did the job as the scent of marshmallows drifted into my nostrils, making me yearn for a nice cup of hot chocolate.

Opening my eyes, I stared at him for a few more seconds with the intention of leaving once I’d had my moment of admiration. The energy I felt within the air was like a mix of calm, sophistication, and an odd dose of protectiveness.

I couldn’t see him being the type that was calm and thought realistically in normal situations, or at least he didn’t give off that impression. He seemed like a bad boy with a dark side. I was really looking into this in my mind, as if trying to figure out some puzzle. I couldn’t recall staring, but the intensity of my stare must have hovered over him because his jeweled eyes lifted to lock onto mine, and while girls squealed and quickly hushed themselves so they wouldn’t be caught, I was transfixed on this man.

His obvious acknowledgment didn’t make me go wild like the others, but it almost felt like an invitation. Reika felt the same and was nudging me to enter the room, but I didn’t want to be rude and disturb him.

We shouldn’t, Reik-

“Weee!”

I didn’t know what possessed me for a split second, but my booty went from standing in front of the window staring at this mystery man to closing the door, walking over to the single remaining chair in the room, pulling it out, and settling myself into the seat like I hadn’t full intruded.

REIKA!

The way my entire face grew red surely made me look like some fan girl of his, but he graced me with a smile - one that made the outside go crazy and would probably get them kicked out of the library.

“Um…are you studying with anyone?” I had no choice but to ask in this awkward moment.

“Just you,” he calmly replied as he placed his pen down and leaned back in his seat. “Need something from me specifically?”

“N-Nope,” I confessed and rambled, “There’s no room in the library and I have a few things to work on before I can go home, and I live pretty far so I can’t just go home from here with the rise in crime rates and all, and I really didn’t want to disturb you since you were so focused, which is pretty attractive because a lot of guys I know dislike studying because it’s an apparent chore, and I really was going to walk away but you smell like marshmallows and all I could think about was hot chocolate and those mini marshmallows you add into your mug during Christmas time, and now I’m here just rambling to you because you’re probably some sort of celebrity talking to a complete stranger who waltzed in here claiming you smell like marshmallows,” I summed up. “Which you honestly do and that’s not a bad thing. It’s pretty cool…and hot…and I’ll just shut up now.”

His smile grew to its full extent, showing his glimmering white teeth.

“I’m glad I smell appetizing to you,” he commented. “Damien.”

“Wait…you’re Damien? Uh…friends with Levi?”

“Mhmm.” He bobbed his head once. “Know him?”

“I just met him in the forest,” I noted, which got his attention. He tilted his head slightly in question.

“In the forest?”

“He was meditating…well, singing, and I was running deep in the forest when I heard him. I couldn’t ignore such a voice, so I followed it and met him. He walked me back home since I live around the area he was in and said his friend Damien normally is with him but is studying. I really didn’t put one and two together, but I can now understand why the library is packed.”

He bobbed his head as he accepted my explanation.

“Well, if Levi let you hear him sing, he probably likes you.”

“Really?”

“Mhmm,” Damien replied. “If he doesn’t like the person, he kills them.”

My jaw fell in horror at his casual response, but his eyes glinted with amusement as he quietly added, “Kidding.”

“Why do I get a strange suspicion that you’re not?”

“I like being full of surprises,” he answered.

“Dangerous,” Reika commented. “I like him!”

I can’t believe you.

“Best get your study books out,” he encouraged. Something in his eyes told me to do it promptly, which I did. By the time I opened my books and had my pen in my grasp, the door opened, and the librarian popped her head in.

“I’m sorry to intrude. I’m just ensuring that the group outside isn’t a part of your study group?” She was directing the statement to Damien. He sweetly smiled and shook his head.

“No, miss. It’s just me and my study partner over here,” Damien answered. “Am I giving you trouble?” The way he innocently blinked with the lovely tone in his voice could make any woman’s heart race, and I wasn’t surprised when the librarian blushed while quickly shaking her head to emphasize her next point.

“No, no, no! Not at all. I’m just doing my job,” she sweetly replied. “Continue studying with Harper. She’s very focused and smart. You won’t have any disturbances with her.”

“Excellent,” Damien answered.

She closed the door and was clearly shooing away the crowd of girls, leaving us to our quiet room once more.

“Harper, huh?” he began and nodded in approval. “Empowering name.”

“Omg, sorry. I never introduced myself. Harper Blake.”

I reached out to shake his hand and was greeted with his hand wrapped around mine. He tugged it enough so he could lay his lips upon the back of my hand, just like Levi had done.

“Honor to meet you, Harper,” he began as those spheres of sapphire filled with appreciation. “It’s good you introduced yourself now that my apparent fan club is gone, or they would probably hunt you down.”

“And throw me off a cliff,” I dryly commented.

“Hmm…it’s happened once, but the girl survived,” he suggested.

Once again, I was stunned by his reply and he shrugged. “A broken leg and some bruises, but she’s alive. Went to a different country, though. Fan clubs like those are traumatizing, honestly.”

“Unless you can defend yourself,” I offered. “I’m good at fighting groups.”

“That’s worrisome,” Damien noted. “You’re far too pretty to be burdening yourself with fighting.”

“I agree,” I began. “But sometimes you have to brawl it out for people not to mess with you. Especially girls.”

“That gives me Alpha vibes.”

“Yes! Like an Alpha wolf. He has to always be ready to put up a fight if one of his pack members or opposing packs challenges him.”

“Why only him?”

“What do you mean?”

“There are female Alphas,” he acknowledged.

“True, but they’re apparently extremely rare.”

“Rare, yes, but they still exist.”

“You’ve proven your point,” I concluded.

“Then what’s my reward?”

“Oh…you get a reward?”

“Mhmm. For being right.”

“Um…well…what do you want?” I wasn’t really sure.

“Well, are you staying here until closing time?”

“Yes,” I replied.

“There’s a coffee shop just next to the station a few blocks down. They changed their hours to being open until midnight to accommodate anyone working around here who has to wait for the last bus that leads to the elite school and the city. Do you wanna stop by and get some cups of hot chocolate with marshmallows?”

The way I smiled lit up my whole face as my heart fluttered at the loving suggestion.

“I’d love that,” I whispered.

“You look really happy,” he noted.

“Well…frankly, I don’t have a lot of friends, and I guess meeting Levi earlier and now you makes me feel less lonely.”

“You have a friendly persona, though.”

“Friendly or not, I’m sometimes the lone wolf since I’m different, I guess.” I shrugged slightly as I looked at my borrowed books and single notebook. “I’m not like the other girls with fancy things that fit into cliques. I’m kinda just a lone wolf.”

“Even lone wolves find a pack they can call their own, Harper,” Damien whispered as his eyes softened. “You just gotta keep being your unique self and they’ll come right to you until you claim your pack.”

“Claiming my pack,” I whispered and nodded my head. “You’re right. Guess time will tell.”

“Shall we get back to work?” he encouraged.

“Ya,” I whispered. “Let’s study hard, Damien.”

One day I’ll claim my own pack.

20

NIGHT OF FREEDOM AND DUAL PRINCES OF THE PARTY

“Kira!” I was literally whispering because I’d never felt so uncomfortable in my poor orphaned life. “Did you find a rich sugar daddy or win the lotto?”

My girl laughed like I’d told the funniest joke in the world before she leaned back into the velvet teal couch and sipped on her margarita.

“Sweetheart, trust me. If I had won the lotto, we wouldn’t be in this tacky club with one VIP room, which I had to fight to get.” She emphasized the word fight before adding, “We’d be chilling at a floating, luxury home in Bora Bora sipping on cocktails that aren’t watered down like this.”

She looked over at the tall white girl in the corner of the room.

“Can we please get two more margaritas? Go heavy on the alcohol.”

“Sure,” the woman replied, and I frowned at her obvious attitude as she waltzed out of the room. Kira’s sweet smile dropped a few notches before she leaned over to pour her drink into the aquarium.

“Kira! You’re going to kill the fish!”

“That drink is so watered down the fish will do just fine,” she assured me and sighed. “This is why I go to the clubs in the city. Their disrespect is a little less obvious,” she added and reached out for my drink that I’d yet to touch.

She took a few sips and bobbed her head.

“See? This is what you call spiked.” She offered it to me, and I decided to take my share of sips before I cringed at the whiplash of alcohol slamming into my senses.

“Heavenly Mother of our Moon. That shit is strong.”

“Mhmm,” she replied and lifted the glass slightly up. “May I?”

“Oh ya, go wild,” I encouraged. I needed a damn minute to recover from that intense shot of sweet tastebud madness. My metabolism may be fast, but I was such a damn lightweight it was an embarrassment.

I’d had beers a few times with Ian at home, and just one drink could do the job of bringing me to the land of wasted - and I became the Queen of Horny Roleplay, from what Ian stated last time. But let’s not get into that.

“When you say fight, do you actually mean you F.O.U.G.H.T someone for this room?” I had to ask cause my curiosity was killing me.

“Yup.” She didn’t show an ounce of remorse as she uncrossed her right leg from her left knee, only to rest her left leg onto her right knee. “Fought and won. This guy was actually Spanish. Finally, something new. Tried to beef with one of my friends. I wasn’t having any of it.”

“Did he have an event or something?” I pondered. “I wouldn’t get into a fight with a woman over a VIP room like…well…this is nice, don’t get me wrong, but the ones in the movies are far nicer.”

They called this place Moonshine Rogue. It was nice, but it could have been so much better. It desperately needed some renovations, but that would cost money and having to be closed for a few weeks, which meant loss of income, and since this was the only party place in town, that was money I doubted the owner could afford to lose.

The VIP room was totally the best thing here because aside from the dance floor, the rest of the dining area reminding me of a cheap bar like you’d see in those cowboy movies.

Old, unpolished, and falling apart.

At least in here, it was kept to a decent standard with two velvet couches parallel to one another and a glass table that held a fireplace with fake crystal pebbles in the middle. They had to be fireproof or something, but at least they helped with the aesthetic.

The random aquariums around the room, the flashing LED lights, and the soundproof walls that allowed us to listen to different music than the rest of the club were the best parts of the overall look.

Bonus points for the private server, even though she has a stick up her butt.

“He’s apparently a regular.” Kira didn’t even seem to care as she finished the drink in one swig and placed the empty glass on the table. Leaning back once more, she carried on. “But he was doing drug deals in here, and he didn’t like the fact I knew that, so he tried to kill me, and I told him I’m friends with Lucifer before kicking his ass.”

“Should I ask if you’re actually friends with Lucifer?” I hesitantly pondered and watched the way she smiled while her orange eyes glimmered of gold.

“Ya, that means let’s not,” I concluded and reached out for my glass of water. “Was he arrested?”

“After I beat him up. O’Neil came and picked up his ass. He’s from the city but loves to do all the drug shit down here so if shit goes down, it simply ruins our reputation, which is already talked horribly about with our ridiculous crime rate. We don’t need some stranger making this place more racist because of their actions. We have enough issues. We don’t need these rich kids getting into meth, cocaine, or lithium.”

“Lithium?”

“A very strong, potent drug. You only need a small amount to have a very disabling effect on you. Basically, your mind feels like it’s on cloud nine, but times that by five. You’re fucking floating. What makes it scary is that you won’t be able to move or defend yourself. It’s like paralysis but you’re still consciously there. And your spine isn’t injured physically, but it shuts those nerves down, which only heightens your senses everywhere else.”

“Doesn’t that mean…” I was following along and things were beginning to click.

Is it the drug being used on the women before they’re killed?

“Yup. While they’re disabled, everything from their sense of taste to their feeling of touch heightens exceptionally. If they fell and broke their arm, the pain would be triple if not quadruple what’s normally experienced by them. Pain thresholds spike up by four times, and there’s no difference in the areas of pleasure.”

“Couldn’t they call for help?”

“The drug makes you incapable of speech. You could probably make some sort of muffled noise, but that would be pushing it. Your brain is needed to send signals through your body to speak what is on your mind. Even screaming requires your brain to trigger the command. Obviously, for us, it’s a normal response and the brain triggers it in a nanosecond, but that signal could be delayed for a good four minutes before you peep a sound, and frankly, anything can happen within that allotted time.”

I didn’t know what to say, but my thoughts quietly left my lips instead of staying in my mind.

“The girls that are being murdered are drugged by lithium.”

“Bingo,” Kira praised just as the door opened. The girl was back with two drinks.

“Here you go,” she announced and laid the tray on the table before taking the other finished glasses.

“Is Dominique here by chance?” Kira inquired as the girl tried to leave, and I swear she was fighting to not roll her eyes.

“The temp worker for the night?” she emphasized.

“The very beautiful woman in the striking white dress who’s doing y’all a favor because not one but four of your Barbie doll employees got so drunk the other day that they all called in sick today, and thus the reason why we don’t have two servers tonight and you, Princess Pocket, are giving enough attitude that I can get you fired the moment you roll your eyes at me.”

“Savage…” Reika whispered. “Can we be bluntly badass like her?”

I’m not sure we have enough sass for that.

“Practice!” My poor wolf was far too excited, like this was what we had to become. And honestly, I had no complaints.

Kira’s a boss badass on no one’s agenda - or payroll, as a matter of fact.

“H-How do you-”

“What? Did you think I didn’t know a thing about this place because you don’t see my kind entering here?” Kira offered. The girl shut right up, and it was a good thing she did because I was immediately upset that yet again race was becoming the common factor in this damn town.

“Listen, lovely. I’m going to ignore the fact that you watered my drink not once but twice, while you made my dear friend over here’s drink perfect because you’re afraid she’d complain about your services.”

“I got both drinks with heavy alcohol.”

I was beyond curious, so I reacted before Kira could say anything more as I reached for both drinks and tried Kira’s first. With one sip, I could tell that it was beyond flat, leaving me to frown in disappointment before checking the other one designated for me.

With one sip, I felt that rush of alcohol, and I smacked my lips and shook my head.

“Oh ya. That,” I offered my own to Kira, “is heavy on the alcohol.”

“You’re just protecting her,” the girl huffed. I smiled and rose up, allowing her to watch me in my dark red rouche dress. Taking a few steps to stand next to the aquarium, I poured the drink right in, causing the girl to gasp.

“You’re gonna kill the fish!”

“Nah,” I replied as I spun around on my heels and sauntered over to her until I was right in her face. I placed the empty glass on her serving tray. “When you pour high amounts of alcohol in a fish tank, it causes a bubble reaction that leaves foam to float to the top layer of the water’s surface.”

The hazelnut eyes of hers widened as she couldn’t help but look over to see the tank was perfectly fine.

I sweetly smiled as I tilted my head slightly and leaned into her ear.

“I really hate when people mistreat my friends, but when you’re bluntly racist in front of me, there are big consequences,” I whispered with a threatening voice. I was surprised Reika moved forward from her normal spot in my mind - approaching closer and closer, which seemed to make the girl more fearful with every step my inner wolf took.

She stopped when it felt like I was seeing the zoomed-up version of Reika’s head, and for a second, I wondered if she was in front of a wall of some sort that stopped her from going forward any further.

“With how sacred jobs are in a town like ours, it would be a shame for you to lose yours. I know a lot of people, and I have various connections. One tiny mention of your inability to serve my friend and me properly would make sure you don’t get hired anywhere,” I whispered. “I’m sure you’ll probably think of going to the city, even with the annoying commute, but you see my friend? She knows a LOT of people in the city, ones who’ve stepped into rooms you’ll never be able to get a glimpse of, and it would be a shame for you to have to go even farther because she could put you on the blacklist so fast you’ll regret being a racist bitch.”

She was practically quivering as I leaned back to look into her frightened eyes.

“But I’m a nice gal and would want you to have a future, instead of it being destroyed by your utter ignorance. So why don’t we do this?” I offered. “You go get Dominique, and she’ll work VIP tonight. I’m sure she has experience working in much fancier venues in the city and will be good at her job, as she was sent down to this shack to help out.”

“B-But I’ll be by myself,” she stuttered.

“Awww,” I tried to feel pity for her, the expression flooding the lines of my face, but I reached out and lightly patted her shoulder. “That sucks. I wonder how Dominique feels having to serve the entire dining section of the club in a new place she’s never been to before with no other server to help guide her along the way. I’m sure since you’ve worked here for some time that you’ll do just fine. Just use that lovely charm of yours. Well, not your attitude. You know we don’t play with that bullshit.”

She was left speechless as she quickly nodded and made her way out the door. The moment it closed, Kira whistled.

“Holy fucking damn, Harper! What in the savage god’s name possessed you at that moment?” Kira was standing and clapping her hands like I’d won a Juno award, and I didn’t even have to sing to receive it.

“Uh…not sure,” I admitted, noticing Reika move back until she was in her spot. She was as intrigued as I was at our random performance, but neither of us had any complaints.

It was seriously badass.

Looking over at Kira, I cringed in worry. “Did I do okay?”

“Okay?! Honey, drinks on me all night long! That was amazing! I knew you had a bad bitch somewhere in you.”

The door opened, and a stunning woman entered the room.

Her ebony complexion held a hint of shimmer, like she’d put on a lotion with golden sparkles that glimmered under the flashing lights. Her black silky strands were short but held a bouncy body to them as the loose curls bobbed with her movement.

She was shorter than Kira but just slightly taller than me, and she wore a flawless white dress that I was surprised didn’t get stained with all she was doing as a server. Her curves were just perfect, and her eyes were a dazzling mix of apricot with hues of emerald green.

It was such a fascinating combination, as if the sun was peeking through the forest.

“You summoned me, Miss Damaris?” she greeted and bowed her head in Kira’s direction before bowing over to me.

“Dominique, please. Don’t act like a humble servant. This ain’t the 1960s.”

I smiled and watched as Dominique closed the door before turning back to us and as if something clicked, her eyes rolled as she sighed in relief.

“Well thank fucking God, cause my city ass can’t handle this humble bullshit!” Dominique sighed like a weight was lifted off her shoulders.

I didn’t know why it was so funny, but I went along with Kira. All three of us laughed before we settled onto the couch and Dominique went and got us actually spiked drinks. When she returned, she locked the door and nodded to Kira.

“Speak about whatever. I’ll keep an ear out for any lurkers.”

“Thank you, Dominique,” Kira praised. “I’ll make sure they give you a raise for the nonsense you dealt with tonight.”

“Thank you.” Her whole face beamed as her eyes softened in appreciation.

My cheeks were going to hurt with all the smiling, but I turned my attention back to Kira and I noticed her watching me with interest.

“What?”

“I should be asking you what,” she noted as she further relaxed and crossed her legs. “What’s bothering you? I know it’s not the renovations I heard are being planned for Sacred Moon.”

She’d probably overheard we had renovations being scheduled for a number of things - fencing to help secure the area from any potential hunters, not to mention the other renovations to upkeep the home. Like she said, it wasn’t too worrisome, even if it was a little costly, but I was sure Dolly would work things out.

“Have you heard the rumors regarding the town closure?”

Kira smirked as she swirled her margarita glass around in a hypnotic manner.

“I hear a lot of things, Harper,” she noted but met my eyes. “Yes. I know what their intentions are with the potential closure of the town, which most likely will include the sanctuary.”

“I heard about it from a guy I recently met, and they’re saying they need two more investors. I’m not really sure if I can contribute because my inheritance is still on hold and my lawyer is still working out the papers, so I guess I’m concerned because Dolly is basically slaving away to keep things afloat and Sam…well, he’s useless as of late.”

“Sam knows what he’s doing,” Kira quietly noted as she took a sip of her drink. “Drunken men love to act like they’re naive fools, but they know what they’re doing.”

I couldn’t help but agree with that, and it aggravated me that he was acting like a fool while making Dolly work so hard.

“But it’s easier to catch a drunk in their own trap,” Kira acknowledged. “All you have to do is play the same naive game.”

“Why do I feel like you have a way out of this?”

“I do,” she admitted. “However, it depends on how badly this town wants to exist.”

“What do you mean?” I leaned in just so I could listen intently to what she was going to explain.

“You already know I’m a minority in this town, so whenever I try to put my head into anything that ain’t my business, I’m pushed, shoved, mocked, the whole nine yards,” she stressed. “I don’t hold it against them, and frankly, I’d be more than willing to be a prime investor that could save the sanctuary and the town itself, no problem.”

“R-Really?”

“Like you said, Harper, I know a lot of people. People in very high places who wear crowns upon their heads and have immense power and influence on anyone that breathes, basically. It’s only in small towns like these, where you’re only able to look through a telescope rather than being granted the privilege of seeing the vast view of the starry sky, that I’m not respected. Again, it’s not the people’s fault. There are rooted traditions surrounded by those with money and power that wish for it to stay that way,” she noted. “But there’s no point in me interfering if the town doesn’t want to be saved.”

“How would you know?”

“Think about it this way,” she began and drank more of her drink. “When a store is going to close unless there’s some sort of rally to defend its closure, what’s most likely going to happen?”

“They’ll close down.”

“Exactly,” Kira replied. “Now think about a town that believes these are just rumors. Even with the state of the town being not up to present times and the obvious hardships in the realms of financial stability, they still believe the rumors are nothing but a joke. That they’ll disappear, and the town will still go on. You know the reason why?”

I shook my head. “Why?”

“Because they would never believe that their people would turn against their own.”

She made it sound so simple, and maybe it was, but she continued to elaborate.

“They always say ignorance is bliss, right? The percentage of minorities in this town is less than 3%. If I wanted to be truthfully honest, aside from O’Neil and myself, there are no other people of color or other race. So why don’t we be realistic and say there’s only 1%? Which means the majority of this town is the dominant race, correct?”

“Yes.”

“So why would the common white man go against their own community and get rid of thousands of jobs, homes, and the overall safety of these lands?”

“Money,” I whispered.

“Bingo.” She sweetly smiled. “And only 1% of the dominant race is rich enough to go against six investors.”

“Do we know who’s investing from the opposing team?”

“Rogan’s one,” she admitted with an eye roll. “Surprised?”

“Not in the slightest.” I sighed. “He’s always been an asshole.”

“Agreed,” she commented. “Two of them aren’t from here, and one of them, well, I’ll keep that a secret until it comes to light all on its own.”

“How are we going to make the town realize they’re at risk?”

Regardless of racism and the obviously stuck-up personalities many people in this town carried, at the end of the day, their homes and jobs were at risk and it didn’t matter what status they were. If your homes are being threatened of being taken away from you forever, you have to fight against it or you’ll be left with nothing.

Some of these homes were passed down by family members for generations. Those houses were chump change in comparison to the housing market now.

Even the “richest” people who think they’re the shit won’t be able to afford the homes that are a good half a million dollars.

I’d been purposely looking into the chances of getting something in the city with Ian, but the prices were ridiculous. Even with my inheritance, I wanted to invest properly in a place that would make my heart whole.

Not a small shoebox surrounded by buildings, pollution, and people who only cared about status and making more money.

“The rumors need to become facts. Closures have to start happening and weirdly enough, the crime has to continue going up.”

“The crime as well?”

“People don’t react until they’re threatened,” Kira emphasized. “Think about it this way. When someone tries to insult me or call me mean names, their true purpose is to make me feel threatened. Like not only my livelihood is threatened, but my own safety. It’s why it’s easy to control a minority race. You simply threaten them by taking away their land, home, and family, specifically their children. Once you threaten someone, they realize that this behavior may not just be a fun game. That if ignored, it can become a very bad reality and you’ll have no one to blame for not protecting yourself.”

“Is that why you learned how to kickbox and fight?” I whispered.

Her smile was priceless as her eyes softened.

“I learned to protect myself because the world won’t do it for me,” she quietly confessed. “It’s not anyone’s fault. I don’t blame racism or people’s differences. That’s why I’m willing to help if someone convinces me that they have the right motives for this town. I don’t care what happens to this place. Well, I do care about you, Ian, O’Neil, and the wolves, but when push comes to shove, there’ll always be a place for you guys, so this loss wouldn’t necessarily destroy you. But the others in town? They won’t stand a chance, and they need to realize that.”

She finished her drink and placed it on the table.

“If we offer to help, then trust me, they won’t show an ounce of gratefulness because they weren’t threatened. They didn’t believe in the rumors and this investment deal would look like we’re being selfish and specifically us ‘monkeys’ are trying to steal their town for profit.”

Now that she delved into it further, it made perfect sense.

“Aww fuck. I didn’t…even think like that.” I felt almost ashamed to admit it, but I hadn’t looked at that aspect. I wasn’t sure who all the investors were, but if Kira was going to be a big investor on the team, it would look like she’s trying to take over the town when in reality, she’s saving it.

“So…what do we do?”

“We play the waiting game,” she suggested. “While protecting ourselves. The rumors are spreading but it won’t be long. I’m sure many of these opposing investors are waiting until we get closer to December to start announcing the closures. They’ll come to take measurements and make it seem like they’ll want to fund renovations of the buildings they know will make the most money, but the reality is, they’ll be taking measurements of the land and seeing what they can create. Shopping malls, private tutoring centers, fitness facilities for exclusive memberships, and I’m positive that they’re waiting until exams are over to announce the school’s closure. The crime rates continue to go up as the station continues to get renovations, and O’Neil will most likely be taking all the good cops and workers over to the city for training for the next four weeks, which will leave all the ‘bad’ officers behind to try to protect the city.”

“So basically you’re hoping for a riot?” It finally clicked in, and Kira’s smug smile and low chuckle confirmed it.

“Desperation leads to anger, and uncontrollably rage and threatened despair lead to the intense need to fight for what belongs to you. Riot, protest, whatever they may wish to call it, the safety of the people will finally be threatened, and they’ll have no choice but to see the group of 1% investors who are trying to take their safety net away. That will reveal that they were foolish to believe that they wouldn’t be victims of circumstance, and it will also give us the opportunity to offer the chance of changing everything. When that happens, we’ll be able to change the entire town and those who have a problem with it can simply leave.” She shrugged. “Since the new year is coming, they’ll be excited to move anyways because they’ll want to be somewhere new. New year, new me. It would be perfect timing also because if they have kids, they can move without disturbing their studies. So, most of these ‘high end’ individuals will purposely move to the elite communities or rich areas thinking they’ll blend right in and easily find jobs that fit what they did in this little town, but then they’ll realize how out of the loop they are and that prices are triple the costs in these areas. Tick tock, time passes and money goes dry. They’ll run back to the town, but I guarantee you in three months of us being investors, we can change Moonshine Haven entirely, and no way would those individuals be allowed back to taint our newly changed standards.”

“Does that mean we’ll be able to make it more diverse?” I inquired. “I mean…I know this topic is a bit uncomfortable and I don’t like talking about it because it pisses me off that this happens, but would the school be more multicultural? Also, would we be able to maintain Sacred Moon?”

“Sacred Moon is safe regardless of what happens,” she reassured me. “They can have the town for all I care, but that land is of actual sacred soil, and it won’t be tainted by greedy humans.”

A part of me wondered if Kira knew about wolf shifters and their overall existence.

“As for the town population, yes. We’d most likely look into the city and invite a vastly diverse group of individuals who can help the town grow and change to meet our current times.”

“So does that mean you’ll help?”

“Hmmm.” She thought about it and looked into my eyes. “Only if you’ll be willing to aid with the overall process of revamping Moonshine Haven.”

“M-Me?” I stuttered. The idea made me nervous, and I couldn’t help but take a very long sip of my drink before I placed it on the table. “What if I don’t have the funds?”

“I don’t care about the funds,” Kira noted and shrugged for added emphasis. “If you don’t have enough, I’ll get you the money and make sure it’s under your name. It’s clear that you want to help on your own accord, but our slow processing with everything in this damn town is simply slowing you down. If December comes and your awaited funds don’t come in, don’t worry. I have your back.”

“Kira,” I whispered.

“You have a unique viewpoint, Harper. Ian is similar in nature, but he has a few flaws. You’re open-minded and are willing to view things from various perspectives. Not just in the direction that benefits you. I feel like you’d work well with the other main investor and the family who oversees the town’s services. If we’re doing this, we might as well go hard and prove that we can make a big change. What do you say?”

I took a moment to think about it. The offer was perfect, without any real consequences. Everything Kira explained was valid, and by going down this route with a pinch of patience, we’d be able to save the town and the sanctuary, and get rid of anyone who disapproved of continuing to live here. Within a few months, this town could look ten times better than it did and maybe we could remove the idea of us being a “poor” area.

It would be hard work, and there might be a bit of rebellion, but it was worth it if it meant we could save a whole lot of people in the process.

“I’m in,” I declared with a big smile.

“Excellent,” she replied. “Dominique, Queen. Can we get some more drinks to celebrate? Go wild on the alcohol.”

“I got y’all. One sec,” she announced and unlocked the door, then left to retrieve our drinks.

“I feel like if I drink anymore, I’ll probably get drunk,” I noted. “Ian’s gonna hate that.”

“Don’t worry, Harper,” Kira reassured me. “If you get wasted, I’ll make sure your prince comes strolling in to take you home. Besides, he could have been here enjoying you sitting on his lap and making out, but no. ‘I don’t like partying’.”

I laughed at her impersonation of him before I shook my head.

“He does like partying, but I think he’s not used to the dancing portion. He’s good at dancing and I keep telling him that, but Ian’s ones of those types that don’t really react or try to show off.”

“Unless what he loves is threatened,” Kira hummed. “The moment he sees the way the men are looking at you in that mini, sexy red dress, I guarantee he’ll unlock his dancing skills while claiming you back from the dance floor.”

“We’ll see.” I laughed. “Are we dancing after this?”

“Sure are,” she announced.

The drinks arrived and we each picked up our glasses and raised them up.

“Cheers to a new potential future for Moonshine Haven, Sacred Moon, and getting Harper a harem!”

I almost choked on my own saliva as I coughed.

“Kira? I’m not getting a harem.”

“Aww, why not?” she whined. “Don’t act like I haven’t seen you around with Levi and studying with Damien.”

“Ugh. We’re just friends.”

“Sure, sure,” she brushed off. “Friends can turn into lovers real quick, and hey. There’s nothing wrong with loving a little bit of everything.”

“Ian isn’t going to let me have a harem.”

“Ian doesn’t have any say aside from which hole he’s putting his cock in.”

“Kira!” I felt so embarrassed as I looked to Dominique, who was grinning from ear to ear.

“Oh girl, don’t look here. I don’t hear a single thing,” she hummed in delight, which made Kira laugh.

“Bitch, please! Come sip a drink and encourage Harper to have an entourage of men so she can dominate this town and we can renovate the shit out of this place and have a proper club.”

“You know that’s my specialty,” Dominique noted.

“Really?”

“Dominique Cloverfield,” she introduced as she picked a glass and came and sat down on Kira’s side. “You won’t know my name here, but in the city, I’m the top hostess.”

“Top?” I gasped.

“This girl is being humble again.” Kira sighed and shook her head. “She’s the top hostess in British Columbia, Harper. Meaning that if you want a party that will be talked about globally, she’s your girl, and she has more connections than me. She met the classic artists Drake, Beyoncé, Usher…all the artists.”

“No way.” It was like looking at a celebrity. “Uh…hello. Harper Blake.”

Dominique laughed. “Please, love. Don’t act like I’m some sort of famous person. I’m just your average girl who’s good at planning parties and loves tearing things down to build them up again. If you go with your plans, don’t hesitate to ask for my aid. I know the right people to do things in literally a week. If these investors think they can benefit from this town with their construction projects, they don’t know how I roll. I’ll make this town into a seven-figure paradise with half the coin, and in one year, this place will be talked about everywhere.”

“We better bring some Alberta boys down here too,” Kira noted.

“Oh, for sure. They work well and I need some construction worker cock.”

We squealed and lifted our glasses up.

“Cheers to a new brewing future,” Kira declared.

“Cheers!”

Cheers to a night of freedom and then off to the dance floor.

“AND THAT’S ENOUGH FOR YOU.”

I pouted the moment Kira took away my vodka drink and gulped it down like it wasn’t the last one for the night with the bar closing.

“Kira,” I slurred and wrapped my arms around her neck. “Give it back.”

“It’s gone into the valleys of my stomach, love.” Kira laughed and stroked my head. “And I don’t play the kissing game with females, so you just gotta let it go.”

“Meanie,” I muttered and hiccupped before smiling. “I smell cedarwood and pumpkin spice.”

Kira arched an eyebrow at me before patting my head once more.

“That would explain why this place got crowded real quick,” she muttered. “How about you go and dance off that alcohol and I’ll call Ian to come to pick ya up. I’m sure it won’t take long. You can enjoy a few more dances.”

“Yeah!” I beamed at the idea and excitement fluttered through me at the thought of seeing Ian after I hadn’t all day long.

I felt like I was living some sort of fantasy, where nothing really mattered but the booming music and the need to shake my hips to the beat. I may have been a bit drunk or a whole lot of tipsy, but I could still dance.

Aside from kickboxing, it was one of those things I enjoyed wholeheartedly. Being able to dance to the beat of any song and individualize every move to be yours opened up so many vast ways of expressing yourself in this form of art.

The current song was perfect to bop to, and I took advantage of it as I made my way through the dancing crowd. I didn’t know why, but the club suddenly got so full that I was thankful we had the VIP section for the night or we would have bounced.

I didn’t mind now that we couldn’t get food or drinks anymore, but the dance floor was thick with sweaty people. There were many couples, which I didn’t mind, but it had me wondering if Ian would come in time for one more dance.

It was nearing two in the morning, and it was the first time in a long while that I’d felt so alive. There was nothing stressful to worry about, or fears of not fitting in. The world was my stage, and I was ready to work it.

Swaying my hips, lifting my arms, and cheering with the rest of the crowd, I danced, swayed, and worked up a sweat. I swear dancing in the club should be considered a form of cardio because you surely burned a ton of calories while being a sweaty mess.

“Hey, Wolf Lover!”

I spun around to see Rick, and instead of my usual expression of utter distaste, I smiled and screamed in his face.

“HEY RICKDODADOOO!”

The poor guy was going to lose an eardrum, but I didn’t care as I laughed and danced. He hopelessly stared at me before it felt like a glint of hunger washed over his expression.

“I was wondering if you wanted to ditch and go somewhere quieter?”

“Oh?” I paused in jumping to laugh. “And what we doing Rickdodadoo?! Cause I ain’t fucking you!”

“I wasn’t going to fuck you,” he groaned, but I wasn’t so sure.

“Ya, sure,” I brushed him off. “You got a small penis, and I don’t do micros.”

“W-Who said that?” he questioned with a stunned expression.

“All the girls bringing their milkshakes to the yard, sipping and gossiping about your micropenis and all the depressing thrusts you deliver. I’m not about the dissatisfied life, so I’m gonna keep to my Ian and anyone else under the sun but you,” I declared with pride.

I was practically screaming over the music, so I wasn’t surprised a few people overheard my declaration and smiled in Rick’s direction. The poor guy had to be so embarrassed, and yet he still kept trying.

“It won’t be long. We can enjoy some fresh air,” he offered. “My friends and I have a cool place just up the road. Has some nice forestry. I know you love the forest thanks to those wolves of yours.”

“Nah,” I sang and spun around. “I like dancing and fucking so if you can’t do one of those two, bye-bye!”

There was a low chuckle from behind me, and I spun around to look into the brilliant pair of blue eyes.

“Oh! Your eyes!” I squealed and pressed my hands on this complete stranger’s face. He was definitely hot, standing at 6′3″. He had blond locks with black highlights, and he looked like an innocent villain of some sort with how he wore all black.

His complexion was creamy, giving me a bit of Irish vibes. Or maybe he was German. Who knew? His smile was priceless as it made those blue jewels sparkle with lust while his skin glimmered with beads of sweat as if he’d been dancing for some time.

What was most potent was the intense smell of cedarwood.

“You’re the one who smells like cedarwood!” I hummed and practically hugged him.

“Hello to you, too,” he greeted with a chuckle. His hands moved to my hips, pushing me back enough so he could look into my eyes once more. “Shouldn’t we introduce ourselves before we dance, my dear?”

“We? It’s just you and me,” I hummed. “I’m Harper! You’re the dark prince of cedarwood!” Twirling around, I moved right into another man, and I looked up and squealed again because I was looking at the exact same person.

But he was different!

Instead of blond and black strands like the dark prince, I was looking into the blue jewels of a 6′3″ man with blond and white strands. He had the same creamy white complexion, glistening with beads of sweat, and a magnificent smile.

He even smelled the same.

“Oh, you’re the light prince of cedarwood!” I greeted and slammed into him to deliver his hug.

He laughed like the other prince and patted my back.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“I’m Harper!” I exclaimed as I leaned back to look into his eyes.

“So I heard,” he replied as his hands moved to hold me at my hips.

I leaned right back to see the dark prince’s smiling expression - even though it was upside down. “What’s your name, dark prince?”

“Isn’t the light prince supposed to go first?” he inquired out of amusement.

“Nah.” I shook my head while somehow maintaining my leaning back position. The light prince was probably the one making sure I didn’t fall flat on my ass, which made perfect sense since he was the good guy.

“I gotta know the villain first, so if you kidnap me, I know exactly who I’m dealing with.”

“That wouldn’t help you in the slightest, sweetheart,” he noted.

“Yes, it would,” I countered. “Knowing your name helps me tell the good prince who tried to kidnap my sexy ass and then y’all will dual it out because that’s just the logical thing to do.”

Light Prince laughed, grabbing my attention as I leaned upward once more to face him.

“What happens if he can’t kill me?”

“Oh nah, we ain’t pulling the whole gruesome fairy tales,” I reasoned. “This is the new generation. Y’all just beat each other up and then I come in like the heroic, badass bitch I am and say, ‘Don’t do it’ all dramatically and you two stop and we fall in love and live happily ever after.”

Now it was Dark Prince’s turn to laugh as he shook his head.

“I’m down for it,” he approved, and I spun around to face him.

“Name!”

“Hayden,” he revealed. I looked back to the light prince and he smiled. “Heston.”

“I have wolves named after you two!” I revealed and pointed to Hayden. “My Hayden wolf has black fur.” I paused then pointed over at Heston. “My Heston wolf has white fur.”

“We know them,” they said in unison, and I looked back and forth before a flirtatious giggle left me. “Can I keep both of you?”

“Sure,” they replied, and a cleared throat caught out attention.

The three of us turned our heads to Rick as he tried not to look so small.

“Harper, we were talking,” he noted.

“Oh, really?” I questioned and giggled before taking Hayden’s and Heston’s hands. “Well, I’m dancing now. Bye!”

With a malicious giggle, I tugged them further into the dancing space before I let go of them to spin. “Who’s taking the lead?” I hummed.

“We both can,” they replied.

“Oh.” I was impressed as Hayden moved to stand in front of me while Heston didn’t hesitate to position himself behind me.

“Ready, Princess?” they questioned in unison, one whispering into my left ear and the other whispering in my right.

“Double trouble,” Reika hummed. She was curled up in a ball and half asleep.

I like this a lot.

“Go…wild…yum.”

“More than ready,” I confirmed, and we didn’t hesitate as we began dancing. Song after song we moved to the rhythm, and I was amazed at how they moved in sync and to my tune. We were catching the attention of many, but I paid no mind as we danced until the final slow song came and I was facing Heston while Hayden was behind me.

“Thank goodness you two were keeping her occupied.” Kira’s voice came from our left, but I was in my moment of sleep dancing, my head resting on Heston’s shoulder.

“Should I even ask what happened?” I caught a glimpse of Ian’s voice, which was enough to wake me up briefly and I lifted my head.

“Wolfie!” I declared.

Kira giggled and looked at Ian.

“Right. That’s your couple nickname, huh?”

Ian grumbled something like, “Don’t tease me,” before it felt like I was passed over into arms of cinnamon.

“Cinnamon buns!” I slurred and snuggled against the warm surface.

“And she’s wasted,” Hayden and Heston declared. “Long time, Ian.”

“What are you two doing here?” Ian pondered.

“Just doing our protective duties,” they replied, and their voices dipped further. “Danger in the forests nearby. Figured we’d come here and make sure Levi and Damien’s new friend was safe.”

There was a moment of silence - or maybe I’d just fallen asleep - because it felt like I was now being carried princess-style and being laid into the car seat.

“You’ll be fine?” Kira inquired.

“Ya. I didn’t drink so we’ll be good.”

“At least she had fun,” Kira suggested.

Ian sighed. “That’s true. Too bad I came too late.”

“You should try to make more time to hang with her,” Kira suggested. “She really considers your time and all but remember you’re the man in the relationship. You sometimes have to consider she wants to be spoiled with experiences.”

“I know,” he whispered. “Just…time is tricky right now.”

“I agree with you,” she assured him. “But maybe spoil her with something nice. A little sentimental item will remind her that no matter how busy things get, you’re willing to invest in things that will make her smile whenever she sees them.”

“You have a point,” Ian replied and sighed. “I’ll think of something.”

“Good!” she praised. “I’m heading out.”

“Kira,” Ian whispered. “Hunters are in the area. Some girl’s body was found.”

“I’m aware, Ian.” Kira didn’t sound very worried. This all felt like a dream, honestly, and I wondered if it was coming to an end as it got hard to concentrate on the conversation.

“Do you think Carter can stop this?”

“I think Carter can do a lot of things,” Kira admitted. “All he needs is a strong foundation of support so that when the enemy pushes, he’ll have enough strength to push back.”

“Where do you stand in this?” Ian quietly asked.

“I follow who I have the most hope in,” she sang, though her voice was drifting away. “I already pledged my allegiance to the North, but I have a strong bid on a rebellious woman who’s willing to pave the way to a new beginning.”

“Who’s that?” Ian asked, and I heard her laughter from afar.

“You’ll find out soon enough, Wolfie,” she called out. “Get Harper home safely. I’ll be watching.”

Ian sighed, and I felt the strap of the seatbelt go over my body, followed by a click.

Soft lips pressed lightly on mine, and I further calmed at the serene feeling it delivered.

“I’m glad you at least had fun, my love.” Ian’s voice was so tender and soft, and if this wasn’t a dream, I’d hug him tightly. “Sleep well.”

Tonight was indeed fun with the dual princes of light and darkness.

21

RACE AND PROTECTION CONTROL

“C‘mon guys! Time to go back!” My voice echoed across the forest, and I followed up with a whistling sound with my pinky fingers. Within three seconds, four energetic wolves were running towards me. All of them tackled me like they had this morning when my pack of endangered wolves returned to Sacred Moon.

It was honestly perfect timing because some officials had come over to the sanctuary today, needing a detailed follow-up of the progress of the wolves and level of aggressiveness. The first set of individuals were from the government and they were cheerful and upbeat, which always calmed my wolves down when we had visitors. But the second set of men in business suits?

Bad fucking vibes.

Carter wouldn’t stop barking, to the point that they had no choice but to stand right at the entrance to talk to Sam on the phone. Dolly wasn’t here, still aiding other sanctuaries, but I briefly called her to let her know about the suspicious businesspeople that came and talked to Sam.

I wouldn’t have thought much of it if my wolves hadn’t reacted the way they did. Carter was a snarling mess, Levi was growling and ready to pounce on someone, Damien wouldn’t leave my side in the slightest, and my twin wolves, Hayden and Heston, were a mixture of all things violent, which was pretty much a rarity in itself.

They were never violent, even when they fought one another.

The whole interaction simply gave me bad vibes, especially when they were asking Sam for measurements and other stuff.

Now that I was assured I had Kira on my side, I was trying not to be worried about the financial side of things. Kira knew very powerful people, which wasn’t surprising to me but would surely surprise the people who belittled Kira.

She also mentioned letting O’Neil know once things calmed down in the police department. A lot of fights had been breaking out recently, especially with the growing rumors spreading that the town may be bought.

My main concern was that people were immediately putting the blame on the elite school, which could potentially bring harm to the students who came to town or lived in the area. It wasn’t necessarily their fault things were moving in this direction.

They were contributing to the rising desire for investment but was it really their fault that a spike of greedy people wanted more money at the expense of many people losing everything? I bet they were using the hike in crime to emphasize the need to tear it all away and make it brand new so they would have the “means” to invest.

Aside from losing the town and our home, I especially worried about the police station because Ian had invested so much into the funding, renovations, and program that was wrapping up its pilot launch and would go international by the new year.

Even if he was transferred to a secure job in the city, it would erase all the years of effort he put in just to be promoted. He’d have to start from square one, and that wasn’t sitting well with me at all.

I’d been keeping in touch with Levi, Damien, Hayden, and Heston’s “human counterparts,” as I liked to call them. It would have been amazing if they were like Ian and Wolfie. They resonated so well with each of their countering wolves, but maybe that was due to naming them when they had first arrived here.

I had a brewing plan, and I was doing everything I could while focusing on my approaching finals to help solve all these problems, and I guess it really was frustrating me because my sleep had been horrible lately.

I’d toss and turn for hours, and when I finally fell asleep, I was awake, and the morning hours were here. It felt like I was getting maybe 2-3 hours of sleep. Either that or I was doing some crazy sprint walks in this house because your girl was feeling the exhaustion, and I could use some solid snooze.

“Levi, Damien, Hayden, and Heston,” I greeted each of them while rubbing their faces and plopping a kiss on their noses. “Good work today! You always come when I call you.”

They howled in unison as they panted happily at my praise, all while I caught the small yet hidden movement in a set of bushes to my left.

With a sigh, I shook my head. “Unlike a certain ALPHA who purposely hides until I chase after him!”

My four wolves howled even louder like they were laughing before they began to run around me as I continued to sit on my butt with my arms resting on my knees. I felt far too heavy and tired to go chasing after Carter, but I knew him well enough to know his ass would hide forever if I didn’t retrieve him myself.

It was his way of claiming alone time, and as much as it was sometimes a nuisance, I truly enjoyed it.

“You guys go on back to the house, alright? Remember, renovations are happening, so stay in the other half of the house like Dolly showed you last time. Once we’re back, I’ll wash you all up. Okay?”

“WOOF!” they happily agreed and, after each giving me a lick to my face, which rewarded them with a hug from me, they were running back home.

The renovations had started this week, and though it was probably best with how crazy the spike in hunting attacks had gone this week, I knew there was an underlying motive to it.

Renovating so that the entire place could be sold to the highest bidder.

It honestly felt like a waste of Dolly’s hard-earned money, especially when she’d been killing herself the last few weeks to make double her income now that Sam was rather useless at helping her.

Sam’s apparent two-week stay was longer due to some “GI” issue or what he’d originally said was food poisoning from one of the convenience stores he bought food from. He was staying there for another week but with December approaching, he had to be there for some sort of exchange.

I’d been busy with my own plans while getting ready for my final exams. Once those were out of the way, I’d be done with school and be able to do exactly what I aimed to achieve.

Saving our home.

Poor Ian was stressed as fuck. The rise in murder cases was beginning to take a toll on a lot of the good officers, and the bad ones were being rebellious to the point that they had an emergency meeting with the chief.

Apparently, the whole distract was going to be upgraded/changed, and Ian hinted that the meeting would revolve around a whole list of officers being fired. Not only would they be fired, but he said O’Neil had confirmed the Head Chief would have them arrested for the numerous illegal deeds, conversations, and overall level of neglect they’d implemented the last couple of weeks, and they wouldn’t be sent to the prisons here.

They would be going to the city where everything was stricter, and with Ian’s new program launching early in the city, there would be no fraud attempts to try and give them bail or consider the case “foolish” in nature.

The anticipation was probably haunting him, and I felt like the town could feel the cloud of change that was approaching like a thunderstorm.

Even Mother Nature was bringing her share of rebellious weather because we’d been alternating between summer days, winter blizzards, and rainstorms that gave us a dose of hail. Maybe the world was coming to an end, but what I knew for sure was that this new year wouldn’t be the same.

A quiet howl rang through the air, and I looked over to see Carter sitting patiently between two bushes. I bet he did that so I wouldn’t get so lost in my worrisome thoughts - or he was just being impatient as usual - but it made me smile as I patted my lap.

“Come here, Carter.”

His excitement came in the form of him darting at me and doing a crash landing right into me. “God, Carter! I swear, if you grow any bigger-AH!” I fell right over, being pinned by my massive Alpha wolf.

Mismatched eyes stared down at me in pure amusement as he panted happily and licked my face. “WOOF!”

“Yes, yes. You want to go for a run, just you and me?” I offered, and he literally laid on top of me while snuggling his face against mine.

“You’re too much,” I teased but managed to free one of my arms to rub his back. “We can do a little run and then back home we go. I’m a bit tired today.”

“Woof?” He paused in his rubbing spree to move back and sit. I smiled at his immediate concern as I slowly sat up and sighed.

“I’m okay, Carter,” I reasoned. “I guess I’m a bit stressed? I don’t know.”

A heavy sigh escaped my lips as my tired eyes closed just as I ran my hands through my long locks. “So much is going on and it’s just a bit worrisome. You know, the future’s at stake for all of us. I’m scared…that I won’t be able to do my share in saving the sanctuary.”

Carter whimpered and moved so he could rest his head on my lap. I smiled and leaned down to kiss the top of his head. He probably had no idea what was going on, but having him here to listen to my vulnerable thoughts was therapeutic.

“I haven’t told Ian about it cause he’s stressed, you know? Kira says she has my back and will get resources before December 1st. I guess I’m just anxious cause my share will literally save so much and so many lives.”

He reached out to lick my nose and face. I hadn’t even realized tears had spilled down my cheeks. “Oh shit. I didn’t mean to cry, ugh.”

I wiped away my tears and blinked back the fresh new ones begging to overflow from the pool of misery brewing inside me.

“I think it’s cause I’m not sleeping very well either, and my dreams are all over the place. Shadows chasing me. The moon calling me. They’re not all bad…some are really beautiful where I’m in a field full of pink flowers and looking at a man who feels like he lights up my whole world.”

I paused to sniff and looked into Carter’s eyes as he inched up close with his attentive stare. I tapped my hand against his cheek, and he closed his eyes at my touch. I sweetly smiled.

“I guess the scary part of that dream is that the man isn’t Ian. I’ve tried over and over again to convince myself that maybe it is, but I think I’ve experienced the same dream enough times to know it’s not him.”

My voice was but a whisper but held so much emotion -so much vulnerability. Carter opened his eyes once more, just so I could stare into their haunting beauty.

“In the dream, his eyes glow vibrantly with gold. There’s so much power in them…his stare alone holds so much authority. Like…he could say one word and the world would have no choice but to bow because he’s a king. A man who can change the world if he wished to.”

Just saying the words made my imagination recall the countless dreams, and I couldn’t help but admire the memories.

“The funny thing about it is that when he looks into my eyes, I can feel the immense love for me. It’s so raw and transparent, I can feel it down to my damn soul. This man would go above and beyond for me…and I don’t know who he is. How…can you see someone in your dream who has no other characteristics other than a gorgeous pair of orbs, and know that they would do anything just to see you happy?”

I laughed because it really didn’t make sense and yet I was certain that the man in my dreams would literally sacrifice the world for my sake.

“I haven’t told anyone about it, honestly. I don’t want to bother anyone with these crazy dreams that feel like they’re trying to warn me about something. A war? Some sort of fight that will costs a lot more than it should if the right people don’t get involved? Then there’s this man, and my heart is begging me to find him. Like my higher self needs him to be in my life so I can bloom. So that my true self can come out.”

I used my free hand to wrap my fingers around my necklace. I felt a hint of warmth at its touch, and I wondered if the significant piece of jewelry wanted to remind me that I was protected.

That everything will go in the right direction. All I have to do is surrender.

Maybe that was what I was really frightened about. Surrendering to this unknown force that was directing me to where I couldn’t see with my own two eyes. What if I fall? Or fail? There were so many “what ifs” and it was so damn frightening.

My worlds that I’d come to love and cherish would all come crumbling down if I didn’t walk down the right path, but how would I know if I was making the right decision?

“I want to meet him. To finally see the face that matches those captivating eyes. To feel the level of safety he delivers in the present, just like in my dreams. I don’t know. With him there, it feels like I can conquer the world. That no matter how hard things get, he’ll be right there and pick me up if I fall. His mere presence, even if it’s cloaked with dark shadows that only let me see his silhouette, encourages me to keep going…even though I’m so fucking scared of the final outcome.”

When my tears pooled in my eyes, I let them free as I looked Carter dead in the eyes.

“I wish I knew what I am, Carter.” My voice trembled. “Maybe it should be who I am…I guess.”

He tilted his head and licked away my tears, and I hugged him.

“I want to understand this world. This world that I know isn’t just…humans. I want the key to the door that will lead me to the truth of my existence. The truth of my family’s death. The truth of who I am and what I’m destined to achieve. I want…so desperately to find where I belong! To find my pack…to claim them and cherish them. I’m just so tired of hopefully waiting for someone to just be honest with me and reveal what my heart knows. To give me that reassuring push into this world I’m so desperate to be a part of. Honestly…maybe I’m just desperate to be one of you guys…and get a glimpse of the world through your eyes so that I can truly give you my all and feel…whole? Cause honestly…right now…I just feel so fucking lost.”

Reika listened to every word, her quiet whimpers making me want to wallow in this sadness and give up.

“All these years, I’ve waited. Waiting and waiting to just know the truth of it all, but will I be able to wait any longer? Or…will I lose everything before the truth is slammed into my face and I realize the power I wished for was in my grasp the entire time? That I was capable but let my fear destroy everything.”

Carter pulled back and howled, before pressing his forehead against mine.

I quietly laughed and enjoyed how important this move was to wolves. He was reassuring me that things would be okay and that he was here.

He’ll always be here for me.

“Thanks for listening to me, Carter,” I whispered.

“Woof!”

“Think we can skip running today?” I inquired as he leaned back to watch me. I was so tired now, and I could use a nap. At least Ian promised to come home earlier today, having booked the time off just so we could spend the evening together.

“Woof woof!” Carter began to run around me, and I lightly giggled and fought to get up. Carter paused in his running spree to look at me with concern and I smiled and reached down to pat his head.

“I’m fine. Don’t worry.”

My phone began to ring, the sound making me frown because I knew who it was. Managing to get it out of my back pocket, I glided my finger along the screen.

“Hey.”

“Hey…”

I could tell something was wrong immediately, yet I wasn’t sure if I could handle bad news.

“What’s wrong, Ian? Aren’t you working?”

“Why is your voice like that?” he countered. “Have you been crying?”

I was slightly annoyed that he’d picked up on that so quickly, but I brushed my emotions away. “Nah. Just allergies.”

“You don’t have any allergies, Harper.”

“Why do you sound so down?” I inquired, changing the subject so we wouldn’t need to dance around the obvious.

“Um…” He wasn’t sure what to say, which only gave me the answer to my question.

“You gotta stay behind tonight, huh?”

“A few hours,” he confessed, and I couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed.

No date night. Boo.

“It’s fine.” I tried to be cheerful. “Work is more important right now. I’ll find something to watch on Netflix and wait for you to come home.”

“Harper,” Ian whispered. “It’s okay to be disappointed, you know?”

I didn’t say anything as I straightened my stance. Blinking my eyes a few times, I whispered, “Sometimes…just sometimes, I wish we could just have a week to ourselves, in our own little treehouse like when we were kids.”

He lingered on the line, and I bet he felt the same way - the two of us wishing for something we knew wouldn’t happen anymore.

“Chestwood, call on line one. May be a lead on today’s murder. After that, O’Neil wants you to come with us to the site. It’s faster for you to take the photos for evidence.” I heard the officer in the background, and I knew this conversation was over.

“I’ll talk it to you later, Ian,” I whispered, a single tear running down my cheek as I tried to smile.

“Harper, wai-”

I hung up before he could try to argue, knowing well this case deserved all his attention and not my emotional life crisis.

Sliding my phone back into my pocket, I sighed.

“C’mon, Carter,” I whispered. “At least you never let me down.”

He whimpered and rubbed his body against my leg in hopes of confirming he was right here. I fought to remain smiling, just as I fought to remain awake as we began to walk back. The sun was setting, the forest was filled with life, and yet I felt so heavy.

So worthless…

Was this a normal experience for people in life? Was I depressed? Angry? Just plain frustrated with every angle of my existence? I felt like by the age of twenty, I’d have my ducks in a row. That things would be running in the right direction and I’d be well established.

I guess that was my dream when I was younger. To reach an age where I could stand on my own two feet and make the right decisions for everyone.

I wanted to be a leader of the pack and prove to all those who belittled me and wished for me to just disappear that I was right here.

I’m alive, thriving, living the best life I can because I fought to survive. I was a survivor.

That’s how I’d dreamed it would be, and yet I felt so far away from that happy ending. Far from that level of empowerment that I’d dreamed would be a crown sitting upon my head, glimmering brightly for the world to see.

I deserved to be a winner.

Then why did I feel like a loser?

Pausing in my steps to look up at the sky, I got lost in the beautiful sphere of orange light, knowing it would soon descend and the moon would rise up for its designated moment of glory.

Is that what I’m waiting for? For my moment to glow brilliantly and enjoy my time being above everything that wished to keep me in the dark?

I closed my eyes and pondered on it, the warmth of the orange light growing and growing, even when it felt like I was descending back into a world of shadows.

I guess I have no choice but to surrender…especially if I want to shine brightly.

~CARTER~

I KNEW something was wrong the moment Harper’s footsteps came to a slow stop. I normally never intruded when my wolf was in control, but this was one of those moments where instincts overrode the lines of power. My human mind pushed through and triggered the shift.

By the time my bones cracked back into place, I was moving, until the weight of the woman I cherished fell into my grasp.

My heart continued to leap against my chest, even as I ensured Harper didn’t hit the ground. Her body was limp, her eyes closed and her head hung back, even when I shook her a few times.

“Harper?” My voice was soft and but carried that stern urgency, but one look at her exhausted expression even in unconsciousness was enough to know she was knocked out.

“Carter?”

Levi was always the first one to pick up on my distress. It could be a Beta thing, but he was super attentive, which was always beneficial at times like these.

I didn’t need to say anything as I sensed his swift approach, and sure enough, he was here and shifting mid-stride - arriving before me, naked and all.

That didn’t last long as I snapped the fingers of my free hand and let a hint of magic out to do the deed of cloaking both of us. In seconds, we were clothed while more of my magic sprung out of my fingertips and rushed to wrap around Harper’s frail body.

I wouldn’t deny the tiny pit of fear in my stomach, tossing and turning in waves of anxiety while I stared down at her. She looked so exhausted this morning, and I personally was reluctant for us to run, but it had been so long since we’d seen her - or frankly, our wolves had seen her - and they really needed to rekindle being around her amazing energy.

Her aura itself that always burned like a rainbow flame was weak and I honestly felt like it would extinguish, but even in her weak state of unconsciousness, there it was, barely flickering but reacting to my magic that grew with every second as it energized her.

It took me longer than I expected, and I was a bit surprised when the soft golden orange flow of magic joined in my magic expedition to energize Harper. My eyes moved to Levi’s calm expression. His eyes glimmered with power as he motioned more magic through his hands to aid Harper.

By the time we finished, the others had arrived - Damien, Hayden, and Heston - all in human form and clothed.

“Is she okay?” Hayden and Heston immediately asked upon arrival, but Damien hushed them for a moment, realizing we were still concentrating on the task at hand.

Harper needed a major pick-up, but I could tell with how her skin was flourishing with color after looking so pale previously that we were doing an excellent job.

I felt the cue that we’d reached our limits, and I motioned for Levi to pull back. She looked so much better now, and with a bit of sleep, she’d be okay.

I was anticipating my wolf to say something, but he was quiet - for once - which allowed me to reassure my pack.

“She’ll be okay,” I began, and with ease pulled her fully in my arms before Levi and I rose up to face the others. “She’s sleep deprived and exhausted.”

“I’m not surprised.” Damien sighed and ruffled his hair. “She’s barely sleeping and when she does, she’s sleepwalking.”

“Haven’t you guys noticed in general Harper has been looking really drained?” Hayden offered as Heston nodded.

“Some days she’s like a zombie just keeping up with her schedule.”

“Well, with her exams, as well as with keeping up with her own physical activities, taking care of the house, and the stress about these investors who clearly want to take our land away, it feels like everything is piling up on her,” Levi explained.

“And Ian’s coming home so late too. She doesn’t really have anyone to commiserate with,” Damien huffed in annoyance.

“He doesn’t want to burden her,” I voiced. I probably sounded like I was defending him - maybe that was the Alpha part of me - but he should be doing his part to make sure she was okay.

His work was important, but at the end of the day when you clocked out for the night, you came home to the woman who was always going above and beyond to make sure you’re okay and still thriving.

It’s only manly to do the same or you’re contributing to a brewing problem that could lead to something worse.

If Harper was on one of her runs and passed out like this, it could have been dangerous.

Deadly, even.

I was grateful we were here for her now, but this couldn’t happen again.

“Do you think the fact that she still hasn’t shifted could be having a negative effect on her?”

We all looked at Levi while absorbing his question of assessment.

“She should have been able to shift by now,” Damien muttered. “I’ve been doing some research at the library regarding her inability to shift. It has to be triggered, but I haven’t really found a solution as to how.”

“It’s clearly a problem,” I muttered. “It’s having detrimental effects on her body, and her current schedule isn’t helping her.”

“What can we do?” Hayden and Heston asked together, before Hayden continued, “Right now, we’re here in wolf form and it’s not like we can help her until we reveal who we really are.”

“And though we’ve agreed she’s probably ready to know the truth, the timing is obviously not right yet,” Heston added.

Damien sighed. “The timing is shit right now. If we don’t act accordingly, we may do more harm than good.”

“There are too many stressors, but if we don’t tell her soon, when?”

They were silent, and I knew this was my time as an Alpha to step up.

“For now, the priority is making sure Harper is safe. Tensions are high in town right now, and though Harper is oblivious to what we’re dealing with, it doesn’t mean she’s not at risk of being pulled into trouble. The changes at the police station and the announcements of who is going to be taking control may set off some violence. Our duty is to make sure Harper doesn’t get involved, and if she somehow lands into something crazy, we’ll be there to protect her.”

I looked at Damien as I continued, “Keep going to the library when Harper has study sessions. She’s comfortable with you, and at least people don’t approach you guys when you’re together.”

He nodded, and I looked at the twins.

“Keep an eye on her extracurricular activities and the gym. Harper does dance twice a week, but they’ve been paused so that everyone can focus on their studies. She tries to go to the gym three times a week, so just stick around.”

“Got it,” they replied.

“Levi,” I began and looked at his calm expression. “Keep on the radar and patrolling the land. Those investors have been trying to sneak up here, but I informed O’Neil and Kira about it. Kira and her men are willing to assist but I don’t want us relying too much on the North. They’re already trying their best to lock down on the rebellious wolves killing innocent women. We can’t slow their investigations down.”

“Understood,” Levi replied as the others bobbed their heads in agreement.

“I’ll continue the negotiations. It looks like we may only need one more investor.”

“Seriously?”

“Kira has stepped up to help.”

“Kira hates involving herself in ‘white men politics’, Carter,” Damien noted.

“And do you blame her?” Hayden noted as he crossed his arms over his chest like his identical brother. “She deals with enough of the segregation when it comes to race in the wolf shifter world. Why the hell do you think she wants to involve herself in human circumstances?”

“Not to mention that they probably don’t even think of her as a threat,” Heston added. “Kira’s a black female who doesn’t tolerate bullshit and is willing to defend herself physically and in the realms of financial investments. She threatens a good half of the integrity this town was built on.”

“This town was built on oppression,” Levi noted. “Besides, they’re not about the whole ‘change’ movement, and let’s not forget they hate anyone who isn’t their own skin color.”

“Ain’t that true.” Damien sighed. “I have a tan and they think I’m mixed.”

“Even though your Asian heritage is sticking out,” Levi noted.

“You hide yours well,” Damien countered and Levi chuckled.

“Ya, my 10% versus your 50%.” He shook his head but sighed. “Shit’s really about to go down.”

The others nodded in agreement, and I looked down at Harper, remembering her words.

“When this investment stuff is over, we need to tell Harper the truth,” I announced, which told them this was a non-negotiable. “I hate lying to her. She deserves to know the truth, and I took that away from her in hopes of protecting her…but if she doesn’t discover who she is soon, I feel like she’ll lose herself entirely.”

“We can’t let that happen,” Damien whispered.

“It won’t happen,” Levi emphasized.

“We just need enough time for everything to go through,” Hayden and Heston concluded.

“That’s the problem,” I muttered mostly to myself. “Do we have enough time?”

We decided to head back, but Levi asked one more question. “What are we going to do about Ian?” The others looked at him as he added, “Don’t act like none of us know he’s dating her.”

All eyes fell on me, and I had to be very careful about how I reacted to this elephant in the room.

“I’m waiting for the opportunity to confront Ian about it,” I admitted and began to walk, but paused after a few solid steps. “Just know, I’m not purposely ignoring his actions and the overall effect his secrecy has on our pack. It’s clear as day and I see it. However, out of all of us, I feel as though Ian is the most lost, and I need to be given the opportunity to help him find himself.”

I paused to look at Harper yet again, and I wouldn’t deny how angry I was that she wasn’t mine already.

That he gets to kiss her, hug her, bathe with her, and do things that were in my right to do as her fated mate.

“As a man like you all, I’m angry. As your Alpha, it’s my duty to help him understand his faults and ensure things don’t go up in flames. Whether that will be before Harper finds out the truth or after isn’t something I can predict, but know that his actions won’t go unpunished.”

Looking over my shoulder to them, I noticed the respect they projected with their attentive and understanding gazes.

“Regardless of how things go down, we’re still a pack. We will validate each other’s feelings and deal with the consequences as a whole. No kicking anyone out or penalizing anyone once the problem has been addressed and punishment has been laid. Does everyone understand?”

“Yes, Alpha,” they replied in unison.

I sighed and turned away. “I respect each of you because I know this is hard to do. You each care for Harper, and I’m simply proud we’ve been able to keep this secret for so long. Just know that the wait won’t be much longer. Harper will know the truth of our existence, and once that happens…well, we’ll figure the rest out.”

I could see our home from afar, and my conviction was stronger than ever.

“Our goal now is to protect our home. No one will take what doesn’t belong to them. They can try all they want,” I declared as I looked at Harper’s peaceful expression and my eyes softened.

“At the end of the day, what is rightful ours will remain in our grasp and anything destined to be claimed will be. No matter what.”

I will reclaim what is mine.

~HARPER~

THE BUZZ of my phone made me stir out of the peaceful warmth of sleep. I debated on whether to answer it or not as the familiar melody informed me that Ian was calling.

I wanted to answer, but I was so comfortable and snuggled against the soft surface further.

The song ended, but it wasn’t long before it sang again, which left me to make the tough decision of waking up. Taking a deep inhale, I enjoyed the pumpkin scent, which made me realize that Carter was super close.

Wait…did I fall asleep?

Opening my eyes, it took me a moment of blinking to take in Carter’s fur coat and massive body that I’d practically straddled. My head had been resting against his neck while my arms were wrapped around him like he was the best teddy bear in the world.

I guess the position didn’t bother him, and I was pretty grateful because I felt so much better - the best I’d felt in weeks if I wanted to be honest with myself.

“Carter?”

He simply opened one eye to acknowledge me, blinking a few times as I took in his blue eye. A second later, Muffin was hopping on him, greeting me by pouncing on my head and meowing happily at my awake state.

“Muffin, I haven’t seen you in a bit,” I noted. My independent kitten basically did anything she wished on this property, though it was nice that I didn’t need to keep an eye on her. As long as I made sure her bowl of food was full, fresh water was given in the morning and at night, and her litter box was attended to, she was happy.

She probably missed Carter too.

“Meow!” She stretched on my head before she hopped off and started bothering Carter like it was playtime. He huffed through his nose and lifted his head to howl quietly in annoyance before pushing Muffin right off the bed.

“Carter,” I groaned, but Muffin was already back and getting payback by hitting his nose to discipline him. He huffed again and got right up, which had me rolling right on the floor with my phone.

“AH!”

I fell on my back and my phone fell onto my chest, which had Carter and Muffin pausing to stare down at me from my bed.

“Seriously,” I commented and gave them a scowl. “You’re lucky I love both of you.”

“Woof!”

“Meow!”

Carter stretched and I gasped right when he was about to shake out his coat.

“Oh no, no, no! Don’t you dare, Cart-”

Too late.

He shook out his fur, and of course, shedding season was his best friend because all those tiny strands of fur rained on my bed, which left me in a state of pure annoyance as I narrowed my eyes at him.

“You did that on purpose.”

He sat back and happily panted away, and Muffin hopped on his head and began to purr happily. I guess those two wouldn’t be their usual selves without causing some sort of mischief.

My phone rang for the third time, and I decided to pick it up.

“Hey.”

“Are you mad?” Ian’s soft voice immediately tugged on my heartstrings. It wasn’t like we never argued or got into fights, but the tone of his voice held so much fear and worry, it immediately made me feel bad for not answering earlier.

“No,” I answered and slowly sat up. “Sorry. I just woke up,” I confessed as I ran one hand through my locks. My voice was still thick with sleep anyway, so he’d know I wasn’t lying. “I don’t really remember falling asleep, or how the hell I got back from the forest, but I’m here, in my room.”

My explanation seemed to make Ian pause in reply, so I took the opportunity to yawn before I rose up and walked to the mirror to see I’d even changed my clothes to one of my comfy pajama sets.

“Wow. I changed into my pajamas too. Shit. I don’t even remember that. Man…I’ve been out of it lately.”

“Are you feeling okay?” Ian inquired.

I yawned again and stretched as I answered, “I was feeling a bit tired in general before you called earlier. I don’t know. I guess maybe it’s just stress or exhaustion. I haven’t been sleeping the greatest and I feel pretty weak when I wake up. I took the pack for a run, and you know I normally run with Carter after, but I just couldn’t do it today. I guess I just magically got myself back home and slept it off. I feel much better now but I think I’ll cut down my activity for a bit and try to get more sleep.”

“Harper, why didn’t you tell me you weren’t feeling well?”

“You’re stressed as it is. My self-pity party can wait. It’s not like I feel like this all the time, but meh. I’m okay. Carter’s here shedding on my bed like I don’t have to clean a layer of his fur coat off my blanket.”

I gave him a look as he tilted his head innocently while Muffin somehow managed to stay on his head.

“Woof?!”

“Don’t act like you’re innocent!” I noted and pointed at him. “Who’s helping me do laundry? Hmm?”

Carter howled.

“No. Ian’s not helping me! He’s not even home, so you better be willing to tug this blanket off without ripping it like you did last time!”

He whimpered and lay down to give me those sad eyes of his. Five seconds of staring into their mismatched hollows had me caving in.

“Ugh. Fine. I’ll do it after we eat something,” I concluded and tuned back in to the phone call. “Ian? When are you going to be home? Do you want anything specific to eat or did you eat already?”

“I haven’t eaten yet,” he quietly admitted.

“Eh?” I looked over for the digital clock to see it was ten at night.

Shit!

“Ian! It’s ten in the evening! Oh no…I didn’t feed the wolves. Carter? Can you go get the others? I’ll make food in a moment for you all.”

“Woof!” Carter obeyed and hopped off the bed to waltz out the door. He knew this house inside and out, just like Muffin, so I was sure he’d be able to gather the rest of the pack so I could make them something warm to devour.

“Ian, when will you be home? If it’s fifteen to thirty minutes, I can make something for all of us.”

“I’m home.”

“Huh?” I questioned. “Now?” I really needed to clarify because I didn’t sense him in the house at all. Maybe it was a “me” thing, but I always knew when Ian was home because his cinnamon scent would plague the house, just like Carter’s pumpkin scent.

“Ya. I’ve been home for some time. Just standing next to the truck.”

That didn’t sound good.

“Two minutes.”

I quickly used the restroom and made sure I didn’t look like a damn zombie before I grabbed my Sailor Moon robe so I wouldn’t be too chilly with my rather thin pajama set and went downstairs to get outside.

Sure enough, Ian was standing in our little parking lot. He was leaning against the truck, still in his uniform clothes, which really didn’t make me feel like everything was all fine and dandy.

“Something is definitely wrong.”

I agree.

Getting a full glimpse of him now proved that my gut instinct was spot on. Something had to have happened because his usual cool, pleasant demeanor was gone, and he felt so…dark. Like a cloud had been laid over his head like a brewing thunderstorm and those droplets of water were drenching him with a heavy layer of distress.

I didn’t realize Carter was back until he was right at Ian’s feet and sitting upon them as he looked up in curiosity. Ian stared down at him as if he really didn’t want to discuss a single thing, which wasn’t like him at all.

He liked to annoy Carter on purpose, and I swore he got a glimpse of amusement just by riling him up, but in this moment, he seemed so…lifeless.

“WOOF! Woof woof?!”

Ian mumbled something, and Carter huffed in the form of a sneeze before he went on his back paws and literally reached up to put his front paws on Ian’s chest. The poor guy looked irritated, but at the same time, I could see a bit of relief as he lifted his hand to ruffle Carter’s head before giving him a patting hug.

Carter lowered back on the ground and Ian sighed and crouched down so he was below Carter’s big frame. I wondered what was going on between them as they shared a look, but Carter leaned forward to press his furry forehead against Ian’s.

The sign of Carter’s concern and loyalty melted my heart as I watched the moment play before my eyes. They may not get along, but you couldn’t deny that if push came to shove, they would have each other’s backs.

Plus, Carter probably knew Ian extremely well since he was the Alpha of the pack and knew Wolfie better.

This is him reminding Ian and Wolfie that they aren’t alone.

Carter moved away and stretched before he ran over to me just to roll onto his stomach for a belly rub. I laughed and crouched down to praise him for his good work. After I gave him a kiss to the forehead, he was off once again to get the others.

Rising from my knelt position, my eyes met Ian’s before I walked over to him. We didn’t need to exchange words as our heavy gazes projected so much more. Maybe we were both reaching our limits and struggled to rely on the other, which only made us feel so lonely.

My arms reached out to slide around his waist, pulling him into a hug. He melted right in my embrace as he tightly hugged me back. Who knows how long we stood there, enjoying the warmth of each other’s bodies.

I could hear how fast his heartbeat was going, as if he were scared the world would cave in around him.

“Ian, my love. What’s wrong?”

I never really liked pressing him to tell me what was going on, but this felt serious. I also didn’t normally use the endearment “my love” unless we were being intimate.

Or in rare cases like these when he simply needed me.

After years of us dealing with PTSD and other triggers that unleashed our inner demons, I tried to find ways of getting out of that haze of fear and despair. Ian needed help to swim to the surface, and I was his lifeguard, diving in to save him.

Unlike me with my amnesia, Ian didn’t get to simply forget what happened to him. He had to cope with everything, and maybe that was what unlocked this moment of uncertainty.

“Out of all the cases and reports…” he began and paused to swallow the lump in his throat. “Today’s was by far the worst I’ve ever witnessed.” His voice was so raw as he muttered his words, his fingertips digging into my flesh as he hugged me even tighter. “God, Harper. I’ve never seen something like that…since my parents…”

I knew he wouldn’t finish as a whimper left him, and I took over in comforting him as I began to rub his back as he sobbed into my shoulder. His tall frame shook, and he cried like he was but a kid who’d just lost something precious to him.

“A trigger…” Reika quietly stated.

I mentally nodded and agreed. Remembering what the officer had said in the background during our call, Ian must have gone to the site to take the photos and saw everything.

The body, blood, and trauma the victim dealt with.

“I can’t…I can’t see that happen to you, Harper. I can’t. I’d fucking die,” he declared as he wept.

“Nothing is going to happen to me, Ian,” I assured him. I wasn’t going to die now. I knew my strengths and even if I didn’t want to admit my weakness, I knew what I could handle.

I hadn’t told anyone that I carried my dagger with me when I was alone these days, just in case I had no choice but to protect myself. Dolly probably had no clue because I took it from the safe recently when she’d needed me to retrieve a certain document for the renovations, but now I wasn’t afraid of these hunters.

If it’s a fight they want, I’ll give it to them.

“You don’t know that.” He pulled back to look into my eyes, and I smiled and pressed my hand against his wet, flushed cheek.

Without hesitation, I leaned in to press my lips firmly upon his, knowing no words would truly be enough for him to understand. I knew he wanted me to understand that things were getting worse beyond our little space of safety, and no matter how much we wished to be oblivious to it, the danger was coming.

It didn’t matter if I was human or a shifter who couldn’t shift, I’d be ready for what was to come, and I knew Reika felt the same way.

“We. Won’t. Die,” I stressed every single word with power.

His eyes bored into mine, and I saw a flicker of hope in those glassy orbs. They then glowed with determination, and I knew he’d be okay. We meant every word of our declaration, but he needed to see the confidence in me to know that I wouldn’t be another victim to this vicious system that let these innocent women down.

This WILL come to an end. Even if it means we have to be the ones to pull the plug.

He nodded and hesitantly kissed me with those trembling lips.

“Sorry for earlier,” he quietly muttered.

“I don’t mind, Ian,” I whispered back and hugged him again. “I think we both just need a break.”

He nodded into my shoulder before he pulled back and pressed his forehead against mine. I smiled as I enjoyed the solid moment, knowing that whatever was going on, we’d fight against it together and conquer.

We’re destined to rise.

“I have an apology gift, though.”

“What?” I inquired in shock as I arched an eyebrow at him. “Y-You don’t have to get me anything.”

Gifts always felt weird to receive if it wasn’t a birthday or Christmas time. I basically attached it to a celebratory holiday, so getting one when there wasn’t anything to celebrate felt weird.

“Well, I know you don’t like gifts,” he admitted. “But I really wanted to get you something since you’ve just been amazing, and I personally wanted to give you something before Christmas so it wouldn’t mingle with that holiday.”

He seemed nervous about it, but he let go of me so he could open the back door of the truck to retrieve an orange bag. My jaw dropped the moment my eyes caught onto the packaging, knowing damn well what this was.

“Ian…no…you…that…” What do I even say after receiving something of such huge value? “Ian. This…how did you get this?!”

He smiled then, the first smile I’d seen tonight, as the warmth of the glowing lights of the house and standing lamps really made his expression stand out.

“I needed O’Neil’s and Kira’s help since I apparently look too young and plain to afford to buy my girlfriend a Louis Vuitton bag, but I took off this morning to go to the mall and retrieve it. I’m not really sure exactly what the fancy name of it is, but it was a Dubai exclusive. Kira got some agent to grab it from the Dubai mall and ship it over to this store so I could pick it up. There’s only one hundred in the world or something crazy like that. I wanted to get you something that people would notice but that would also match your style in a sense, so uh ya.”

I didn’t even know what to say as my eyes immediately filled with tears, which freaked Ian out. “Oh no. Don’t cry. You know I never know how to react when you cry.”

That made me laugh before I crashed into him.

“Thank you, Ian,” I cried in happiness. No wonder why he’d worked so late tonight. He’d started work late just to get me this item that was a global rarity.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you. You didn’t have to do this, Ian.” I hugged him so tightly, I swore I’d probably choke him, but he patted my back as he hugged me.

“I’d do anything for you, Harper.”

Pulling back to stare into his eyes, I knew he would, and I appreciated that.

“I know,” I whispered. “Thank you, Ian.”

“You haven’t even seen it yet,” he noted but smiled. “You’re welcome, Harper.”

We leaned in until our lips pressed together, and I got lost in his touch while I vowed to protect this love.

Protect everything I love.

22

HEATED BETRAYAL AND REMEMBER

“Your ass did not go all the way home to put that bag back in its cloth cover and into the safety of the orange, luxury magnetic box.”

“I did.” I wasn’t even ashamed. “And I locked it with three locks.”

“Dear lord, we have to buy you more designer.”

“Not with those price tags. That’s like someone’s yearly income!” I complained as we walked out of the gym.

“Five thousand is not someone’s yearly income,” Kira noted. “But I see that you really value it.”

“It’s expensive, and well, Ian normally doesn’t give me gifts unless it’s a holiday or something we’re celebrating, you know?”

“What about the ring on your finger?” Kira pondered. “That promise ring was given as a specific gift.”

“Ah, this is actually from Carter.”

She arched an eyebrow at me, and I further explained, “Wolf Carter. Maybe I have to start saying that seeing as there’s a human Carter somewhere in this town. He found it in the woods and gave it to me. This was like when I was twelve. It’s waterproof and all so I just wear it. Ian doesn’t mind it and it’s pretty good at making sure people think I’m taken.”

“How fast do you think you can put it on your necklace and tuck it beneath your crop top?”

The question was odd, but I followed her gaze to a group of five men in suits. I was surprised to see Rogan and Sam amongst them, especially when I hadn’t seen Sam in weeks since his apparent two-week Alberta trip - that was rudely interrupted.

Kira’s motto was “act now, ask questions later” so I didn’t delay in committing to the deed as I quickly unhooked my golden necklace before taking the golden ring with the pink petal design off my finger and slipping it onto the chain.

Just as swiftly, I had the necklace back around my neck. The chain was long enough for the ring to hang down into my crop top, where it was safely tucked into the space of my cleavage in my sports bra.

“Done,” I voiced, and Kira bobbed her head.

“Don’t be intimidated,” she urged as the very group in question began to approach the gym. The leader was tall and wore sunglasses, as did the other two men in all-black suits. Only Rogan and Sam seemed a little out of place with their rather old attire.

Compared to three men whose suits alone looked like they came from an expensive boutique and were tailored to fit them perfectly, Rogan and Sam looked like they had borrowed their suits from the only store in town, and they certainly weren’t tailored.

Guess I should give them an A for effort.

Reika began to growl as they got closer, and I had to stop myself from letting the very sound slip from my mouth. I felt like Kira noticed the spike of tension in my body, and she took a step forward and moved just slightly to the side so she was a bit in front of me but not completely covering me so I could still see what was going on.

The group stopped in front of us, and my eyes immediately locked onto Sam, who tried to look anywhere but at me. Rogan, on the other hand, gave me a smug smile before he turned his attention to Kira.

The look he gave her was like they were rivals, and it was already getting on my nerves because she didn’t deserve such disrespect when he didn’t even know her.

“Need something, boys?” Kira inquired as she crossed her arms over her chest. “I have an outdoor training session with my student over here. So I suggest you respect my time because I’m on the clock.”

“I really don’t care about your employer wasting money on you,” the leader muttered, and I swore I picked up on the n-word that he huffed under his breath.

Kira laughed and had not a pinch of shame as she got right in the man’s personal space. She uncrossed her arms and stared the man right in his shaded eyes.

“Firstly, I don’t work under anyone.” Her voice was lethal to the point that I shivered, while my body was plagued with goosebumps.

The energy in the air practically crackled with intensity. Maybe it was the intense humidity because of the approaching thunderclouds, but it was far too difficult to breathe.

“I’m the owner of this gym,” she revealed, which blew my damn mind because I didn’t have a clue. “Just like I own that lovely library down there and the coffee shop just right over there. And did I mention that this negro also owns the school further down south?”

The man’s frown deepened while his reaction had the opposite effect on Kira, who grinned and tilted her head upward.

“Business Management 101. Don’t judge a book by its cover,” she snarled. “Finally, since you’ve already shown your true colors, my answer is no.”

“You don’t know what we’re here to discuss, Kira. Why don’t you stop being an unprofessional bitch and get inside?” Rogan snapped.

The confrontation was already gathering a crowd, and Kira didn’t hesitate to talk a little louder for the community to hear.

“Oh, you mean the unprofessional bitch who was walking out of her own business with one of her trainee students and confronted your friends over here, who’ve probably seen more money than your wonky bankrupted ass and your loyal drunk sidekick. I must be so unprofessional compared to your group, who’s most likely here to inform me that you’re buying out the gym with a very cheap amount of money. I’m sure you’re going to offer to renovate it, just so that you can demolish it the moment this town is taken up by most of your contracts and turned into the luxury paradise you’ve all been advertising up north in the city.”

That garnered a few gasps as Kira sweetly smiled. That just blew my mind, and I couldn’t help but say, “What?! You guys are the group of investors trying to buy out the town?”

“This bitch is just lying,” Sam said with a nervous laugh, but Kira sighed.

“Do you really think I have time to lie, Sam? It’s funny that I’m seeing you here. Didn’t you say you were in Alberta and staying an extra few weeks due to the whole diarrhea problem?”

That had him blushing while Rogan huffed, “Just shut up, Kira.”

“And why should I?” Kira asked. “Don’t tell me you were able to buy the Charter of Rights, because that would be a little pricier than a few million dollars. I have every right to speak.”

“If you don’t want to do business inside, why don’t we get to the point?” the leader demanded. “How much for the gym, coffee shop, library, and school? We’ll even give you a tiny bonus for causing a scene.”

Kira laughed.

“A bonus for causing a scene? Oh, honey, every five minutes of my time that you waste costs me a million dollars.”

That made his colleague’s eyes go wide while Rogan and Sam looked speechless.

“You know what’s really funny?” Kira began. “It amazes me how disloyal you are to your own. Look at the people around you.” She purposely gestured to the crowd of workers, students, and other adults.

Her eyes specifically turned to Rogan and Sam.

“You two have lived in this town since you were what? Early twenties? Instead of aiming to defend this place you’ve called home for so many years, you’re willing to throw it under the bus for some cheap coin?” She laughed and put her hands on her hips. “What percentage are they giving you? 5? 10? Oh, let me guess. They’re giving you a bulk package, aren’t they?”

When neither of them spoke a word, Kira laughed even harder as she began to walk very slowly, like she was pacing and thinking about what had to be said.

“You guys are the naivest duo I’ve seen in years.”

“This is big dollars, you neg-”

“One hundred grand? Or were they extra generous and gave a bonus of fifty for you two to split?” Again, they were rendered speechless, and all Kira could do this time was look over to the three men standing quietly to our left side.

“How much?”

The other two look apprehensively at the leader who muttered, “Two hundred and fifty thousand.”

“Split.” She wasn’t saying it like a question. She knew they were splitting that sum. Not waiting for the man to reply, she peered over to Sam and Rogan, who looked pretty damn foolish right now.

“What a shame,” Kira emphasized. “So you sold out your town and even the sanctuary you called home for one hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars.”

The mumbling voices around us confirmed that the others witnessing the confrontation were talking. I knew for a fact that it wasn’t very positive.

“Tell me, Sam, since you have a fraction more intelligence than Rogan,” Kira began and purposely faced the man in question. “How much is a condo in the city?”

“Um…I don’t know. One hundred grand?”

“As of yesterday, a studio is one hundred and fifty before taxes, lawyer fees, and everything else they slap on to the price, and that’s not even considering the bidding wars going on there now that news of this apparent luxury spot is being built,” Kira emphasized. “Do you know what your boys have just started? We officially have less than two weeks to December. Christmas season is normally the perfect time for buying because many people want a fresh, new start in the new year and so they sell their homes.”

She began to pace again and talked a little louder for everyone else to hear.

“With the news spreading that the town is going to be bought and a luxury town is being created to accommodate the richest individuals, families, and students who attend the elite school further north from here, the 1% of the rich hidden in these parts are going to buy out as many homes in those areas that they can,” Kira revealed. “I can guarantee that the three men over there are not only wealthy but probably all carry real estate licenses, which tells me that these homes, which were less than one hundred grand last week, have been purchased and spiked up fifty thousand dollars more. You know why?”

She raised her hands up and gestured to those all around us, and I realized the crowd had tripled now and the world was silenced as everyone listened to what Kira had to say.

“Them. Your community is now a victim of circumstance. You took a bulk sum of the money, while your partners are most likely getting an extremely large percentage that will immediately profit once this vision is brought to life. What’s funnier is that I can guarantee that they have invested enough money to purchase more than two units each. Maybe a studio house, or maybe a house which has gone up one-hundred and fifty grand since last week.”

That got many people gasping at the stack of 150 on top of the already high prices. With the high-end homes being half a million, the cheapest home would most likely be three hundred thousand if they were lucky and it didn’t require renovations or was positioned in an unsafe area.

If the prices had gone up between fifty to one hundred and fifty thousand dollars in a week, what would happen when the town actually got sold off and plans were a go?

“Y-You don’t know shit!” Rogan huffed.

I looked over to the other three men.

“Why don’t you just tell them you tried to buy out over two-hundred-fifty homes last week?”

The three of them were shocked, unable to hide their expressions even with their shades on. “How do you know this information?” the leader snarled.

“You know the good thing about being a dark, luscious black woman in a town that’s yet to modernize themselves and accept multicultural communities and the desire to stand together in peaceful revolution?” She moved right up to him and stood her ground as he slipped off his sunglasses to show blazing silver eyes that almost reminded me of Ian’s.

“We don’t trust strangers that waltz into our land and start flaunting money with their fancy suits and their rich cars. We immediately smell the fishiness of your actions, and you know what we do? We start digging.”

“It’s none of your business!”

“Oh, but it is,” Kira snarled. “Actually, it is for me and my partner over there.”

All eyes seemed to land on me. Reika was up and coming closer in her world within my subconscious so, instead of being fearful of the attention, I stood taller while my expression was a blank canvas.

“See, my partner Miss Blake over there is a pretty smart cookie. She’s got loads of connections and is a real people person. She wants the world to be fair, for people to live in our communities and be able to afford to live in places that don’t go up a good 25% in a week. So, last week during a nice VIP meeting, Harper and I signed an investment agreement.”

I had to fight not to let my eyes grow wide in shock as I remembered that after our cheers moment, Kira had talked about some investments she needed a partner to help with. I’d been attentive during the first half, but the second half got lost after I drank far too much and then was on the dance floor for the rest of the night.

“You tried to buy as many available homes as you could by force, which led to a mass movement of families who moved further north. That made the prices spike over there, but before you gathered enough cash to buy out, someone swooped in and took the claim. That pissed you off, but then it’s not a big deal, right? I mean, if you were going to buy all those homes, you’d be spending just about 75 million if every home was 300,000.”

No one said a word, but I could see the pure shock on Rogan’s and Sam’s faces now that they realized just how little they got compared to the amount of money these people carried.

That was literally chump change to them.

“So now you have all that money sitting in the bank, so you’re willing to waste it on all these renovations in the town to make you guys look like good Samaritans. Though, I’m pretty sure you’re doing that so that the bank won’t hunt you guys down for fraudulent activity with all that money chilling in your bank account with nothing else to do but collect dust.”

Kira walked back over to where I stood and crossed her arms over her chest.

“Did you know the first time I got money, a really good woman taught me the right way?” Kira whispered as a sweet smile formed on her dark plum lips. “For the longest time, I disdained people of your skin color. The hate you always projected on us made me feel unworthy. But then I always realized that the ones who are loud and degrade others that don’t look like them always have an underlying motive. When one is threatened, they lash out negatively at those who make them reflect on their morals, actions, standards, and overall livelihood. This woman made me understand that not all apples fall from the same tree, and that’s okay. She also taught me that not everyone will accept you when you’re uniquely different from everyone else.”

Her words resonated with me as I looked over at her.

“Instead of defrauding me by giving me a small lump sum with my investment, she laid the foundation for me when I was but a child, and guess what? I became a millionaire unexpectedly at twenty-five. That didn’t account for the sudden acquirement of money from my own family inheritance. So as much as you love to belittle me, know that I’m a multi-millionaire soon to be a billionaire by the new year.”

No fucking way…

Even I was gawking now, and no one else could utter one damn word.

“So I decided to pay it forward, by investing the little bit of money my partner here, Miss Blake, has saved up since she was a little girl. She actually has no idea, but I met her two years ago and was in a tight situation. Instead of brushing me off, she brought every bit of money she had and offered it to me. It was a mere test to see what her true intentions were, since I normally don’t train or, frankly, trust people easily. But that money was placed in an investment.”

She finally looked my way and her eyes twinkled with pride.

“That investment just so happens to be in the stock market, specifically the housing market that not only contains Moonshine Haven, but also the city up north, and the one down south, and the one to the east, and finally the one to the west.”

The way the leader man’s eyes went wild with anger told me this had to be a big deal, and Kira was ready to give the grand finale.

“Due to your swift inquiry and execution of trying to buy a bulk of homes up north, the residents were forced to basically buy whatever they could for the lowest price. Those individuals rushed to the east, west, and south regions and bought properties there, pushing out a big chunk of families who now have to move further out to purchase property within their living means. I’m sure you all are smart enough to see the pattern here. Not only have prices skyrocketed, so have the stocks. So as of now…”

She paused and pulled out her phone to check herself.

“Miss Blake should be a millionaire in one minute.”

“W-What?” I whispered.

“WHAT?!” Sam gasped.

“Y-You’re lying,” Rogan snapped.

“And why would I waste my time and energy revealing my master plan if I was going to lie?” Kira noted. “Anyways, you’re now looking at two very wealthy investors, and I’m so tempted to hop on this wagon to go against you guys. I mean, either way, we’ll be the winners, seeing as the market will only triple and eventually when you finish this luxury dream you guys have, Miss Blake probably could buy the entire thing and demolish it all like you’re attempting to do with our little cozy town.”

“Why do you even give a fuck about this town?!” the man snapped and gestured to everyone. “They despise you. They’ll never accept you! You’re willing to help them, but you’ll always be a monkey in their eyes!”

“Oh you’re right,” Kira agreed. “And I never said I was hopping on the investment train, nor did I insist on helping this town. At the end of the day, if this place burned to the ground, it wouldn’t affect or bankrupt me.”

She purposely paused to make a point.

“But I have morals, and I was taught by this same woman who treated me like her own daughter that she wasn’t even allowed to see, that two wrongs just don’t make a right,” she declared. “However, I won’t step in unless I have to, and that’s in the town’s hands. If they wish to believe your group of greedy assholes, be my guest. Again, it won’t bother me. Or Miss Blake. The small percent that can afford the homes that I guarantee will be a minimum five hundred thousand to one million by December 1st will be able to go purchase or maybe even rent their homes and continue on like this never happened.”

The nervous tension around us was palpable, and I knew from many of the dread-filled faces that the good majority of these people didn’t have that type of money.

“The rest will be homeless, and without a police station, the crime will override these places. More people will die, some from crime and at the hands of these very people who have nowhere else to go, or others will maybe even get eaten by the wildlife. At the end of the day, that’s their choice. I ain’t saying this to be some savior. I’m simply a messenger, and whatever you all do with the information is your business.”

She looked back to the man that was clearly fuming with anger.

“So back to the original question. My answer remains the same. I won’t be selling my business investments, nor do I need your renovation money, but hey, if this town doesn’t want to be here anymore, I’ll gladly forfeit these places and you can do what you want. Like you said: I’m just a monkey.”

She reached for my hand and tugged it. “C’mon, Miss Blake. Let’s go discuss in the car.”

“Right,” I replied and followed her.

We made it to the car but couldn’t even open the doors before townspeople were screaming.

“Fucking betrayers!”

“We’re going to lose our homes!”

“I’ve worked here my entire life. I can’t afford anywhere else!”

“How dare you turn against us?!”

The crowd was screaming and began to throw stuff at the ground, but Rogan was clearly losing his shit.

“You were giving us what? Not even one fucking percent?! Do you know how much shit we sold to get enough to give to you guys?!”

Sam was panicking. I could tell from the way he was already pacing and cursing under his breath. That told me that he probably spent more money than he even had.

Which wasn’t good for Dolly.

The leader said something to the other two before slipping his glasses on once more.

“We’ve made the decision that you two can’t carry your weight in this business deal and we’ll have to look for replacements. As of now, we’re voiding the original contract.”

They both gasped in horror, but the man was already walking away.

“You can’t!” Rogan snarled, but the other two men purposely showed their waistbands. Both of them carried not one but two guns.

That shut them both up as they remained completely still, all while the townspeople were frozen in place. I wasn’t necessarily threatened by it, and neither was Kira, but I noticed the odd expression on her face before she looked further to her side - as if she were looking into the woods.

“Shit,” she muttered. “Harper, stay here. Don’t move.”

I couldn’t even reply because Kira was already gone, like she’d moved in a blur. No one else seemed to notice since the attention was still on the confrontation and where it would go in this prime moment.

“Pleasure doing business with you,” one of the guards declared while the other was already moving to catch up to their boss. A black car that looked pretty expensive wasn’t too far out, and the first man had the back door open for the boss, who entered the vehicle.

The second guard waited for both of them to get inside and for the car to start before he walked away backwards until he was near the car and entered in a swift movement. There was no chance of stopping them, which left an eerie silence as various questions popped into my head.

Does that mean the town is safe? Or maybe they’ll try to find bigger investors? That guy’s eyes were like Ian’s. Silver eyes. Couldn’t really see his hair under that hat he was wearing. Shit. Where did Kira go? Why do I have to stay here? Shouldn’t I leave?

“Harper.”

I flinched because I wasn’t expecting Sam to be in front of me, and the defeat that swarmed his eyes tried to make me pity him.

“I’m screwed. I used all the earnings and savings, all the government cheques I was supposed to reserve while Dolly’s away…I used them all. Before the loan…”

“You used up all the government cheques?!” I zoned out everything else that was happening further in front of us to glare at him. “Sam, that’s thousands of dollars! You were supposed to save those cheques so at least when she came back from a full year of up and down traveling to aid the sanctuaries that we’d have backup to live on! Where the fuck are we going to get ten thousand dollars a month? Omg. You literally spent one hundred twenty thousand dollars before taking out a LOAN?!”

He literally was on the verge of tears, but I wasn’t going to fall for his sympathy act.

“Dolly’s been literally slaving away like a fucking dog, jumping from sanctuary to sanctuary to make a living for us and you’ve been spending the government supply that’s used to maintain the sanctuary and feed the wolves for your own personal use? Do you know what’s going to happen when Dolly does taxes?! That’s fraud, Sam! You can go to fucking jail!”

“Not if you lend me some money. Just a little bit,” he reasoned with a slight smile as he trembled. “You know, do your good old papa a favor and get me out of this situation. How about you give me a small amount now and the rest later? That would at least get me out of here for two weeks until you save the town, you know?”

“Save the town?” I looked at him like he’d told the funniest joke of the year. “And who said I’m going to save the town?”

“W-What?”

“Oh, so the town that you literally threw under the bus is now in my hands to save? Was I the one to dig the grave you’ve fallen into?”

“C’mon, Harper,” he reasoned and reached for my left wrist. He tugged it slightly, his grip was so tight I surely would lose circulation if he kept it up. “My fucking life is on the line. If I get arrested, Christopher will make sure I die in that fucking prison when no one is looking! You don’t fucking understand what’s at stake here!”

Who the fuck is Christopher?

“Just because I’m suddenly a millionaire, that doesn’t mean the money is now sitting in my bank account, Sam!” I snapped while Reika began to growl. I swore I was mentally trying to tame her from riling up my emotions. I didn’t want to hurt Sam, but if he kept holding me like this, I would.

“Then how about if…you sell something for me. No, even I can sell it. If I’m quick enough, I can get to the pawnshop before the rest of the town finds out what’s going on.” He sounded desperate now. “Where’s that pretty ring you always have on your finger? The gold one. Looks like real gold. Maybe an heirloom. Fuck, if it’s a wolf heirloom, I’d make a good ten grand right here and now. Where is it, Harper?”

His grip tightened further, and I growled and stared dangerously back at him, causing him to flinch and let go of my wrist that was now blazing red and throbbing with pain.

“I sold it!” I snarled, knowing damn well I was lying, but my boiling rage was real and that covered the lie so perfectly. “You haven’t been helping Dolly for years! She’s had to send the wolves to other sanctuaries just to keep them fed! If Ian and I didn’t give her some portions of what we could, we’d be bankrupt by now!”

“You sold it?” He looked crushed, as the only importance he picked up on was the fact that he didn’t have a backup plan for getting some random coin to get him out of this mess. “It’s alright. I just gotta think. Think, think, think. I could make a deal. A deal with the hunters. I’m sure they would be happy with you.”

I moved a few steps back until I pressed against the car Kira was using while Sam chuckled, almost like a lunatic. “It’s all good. Harper?” he said sweetly. “You have to do your papa one more favor.”

“Get away from-”

“CAR!” The high, screeching sound was followed with more screams, and our attention turned forward. We saw people literally being tossed into the air as a car plowed right through them and headed straight for us.

I tried to get away, but my injured wrist was caught, and I went flying back to where I’d run from, crashing into the car and falling to the ground. I opened my eyes in time to see Sam had been the ultimate culprit before he sprinted off into the woods.

The sound of bones cracking simply echoed in the tense air, and my head turned back to see in front of me as blinding headlights shot into my vision.

I’m going to die.

There was nothing I could do as I fumbled to try to get my necklace out with my violently shaking hands. But even as the significant pendant and the ring fell into the grasp of my palms, I knew I was going to be one with the car’s front bumper in three seconds flat.

I closed my eyes shut as I pressed my palms together. The scream that escaped me was one I haven’t heard since that frightening, life-changing night when I ran for my life.

Only this time, I screamed a name, and it only took a nanosecond for me to catch onto my own cry of despair.

“CARTER!”

When something did hit me, it was painful. The pressure wrapped around me like a shield as I was pulled into the warmest hug I’d ever experienced.

The sound that followed was deafening, but I realized as seconds continued to pass that I was safe and hadn’t been hit yet. It didn’t mean I wasn’t petrified, though, and my body was shaking violently like I was in the midst of a deadly blizzard.

It encouraged the arms that held me to hold me tightly as a tender voice whispered in my ear, “You’re safe, Harper. I’m here.”

This voice. This feeling of fuzzy warmth. I know this person and yet I don’t. Who are you?

I pulled back because I couldn’t wait any longer to know who this was - my body prickling with energy and a desperate need to discover the truth of something I felt like I’d forgotten.

My breaths came out quick as tears blurred my vision, but my heart came to a stop as my eyes bored into mismatched ones.

Blue and gold orbs peered back at me, but it wasn’t the familiar pair that was surrounded by fur. This being was clearly human, and he was the most attractive man I’d ever met.

He had tanned skin, a sharp jaw, short blond locks, and soft-looking lips. His cheeks were flushed, his breath erratic like he’d run miles and miles to get here, the beads of sweat rolling down the sides of his face.

He had broad shoulders, muscled arms, a chiseled chest, and clearly defined abs. His tattoos glowed vividly with gold and turquoise like his shimmering eyes, which bled with power. We were surrounded by a golden orb with hints of rainbow shimmers.

The fact that this man saved me in this prime moment of death didn’t feel like an accident. There was a purpose to this very moment, just like how my sudden move held greater meaning.

I didn’t think, I just moved, and it wasn’t until my lips crashed into his that I realized what I’d done: I’d kissed a man I’d just met…a complete stranger.

And yet, I’d never felt so complete in my damn life. It was like every other experience suddenly dulled in comparison, and though it wasn’t my intention in the slightest, I couldn’t ignore just how pleasantly full I felt in this moment of rebirth.

Memories rushed into my mind, ones I couldn’t recall from before.

Years of playing with the wolves but also having the greatest moments of fun with five other boys. Each was unique in their own way, and they resonated with the very wolves I was designated to tame.

One by one their names and traits that I’d used to describe them as a kid flooded my senses, and I felt guilty for forgetting each and every one of them.

Damien, the reader and observer.

Levi, the nature lover and defender.

Hayden, the night watcher and defender.

Heston, the sun gazer and observer.

Carter, the ultimate leader and protector.

The kiss was broken because something bigger was about to happen, and the way my gut suddenly dropped told me we had to get away now.

“THE CAR’S GONNA EXPLODE!”

Screams ignited as waves of heat hit us - encouraging Carter to rush in standing up. He tried to tug my wrist, but I flinched, making him realize I was hurt - not from the impact, but because of Sam’s doing.

He let go, only to dive down and literally lift me up in one smooth swoop. He threw me onto his shoulder, giving me the chance to take in the view.

Somehow enough time had passed that firefighters and police were attempting to get closer, and the one in the lead running at full speed was the man I considered a true father.

O’Neil.

My eyes widened like saucers as our eyes locked for a brief second. Carter had pushed off the ground, jumping on the top of Kira’s car with the clear intention of running into the forest before the car would explode.

Everything slowed down further, and my voice came out with every intention to be heard.

“RUN! EXPLOSION!”

Others skidded to a stop, but O’Neil still kept going, and fear surely swarmed into my eyes as I suddenly noticed the flicker of light from the car. My eyes lowered for a mere second, but it was enough to see the person in the driver’s seat.

A woman whose eyes were fading from life, but I noticed the various wounds on her upper half as blood dripped down her nose and the side of her mouth. Her eyes that grew more and more lifeless had enough energy to look in my very direction, and my heart stopped as I realized who it was and the engraved words on the top of her forehead that still bled uncontrollably.

“Die, Wolf Lover.”

“Cat,” I whispered as my tears spilled down my flushed cheeks.

That was when I saw the first spark of a flame, and I lifted my hand up as Carter pushed off the hood of the car - catapulting us into the air while I screamed and begged for the final outcome to not end the way it was about to.

“O’NEIL!”

My scream of raw agony was silenced with a louder sound. The explosion muted everything as our bodies were pushed with so much force, we surely went flying yards into the forest. The heat was intense, and I wasn’t sure if we’d get out of this alive with how my flesh burned, but there was nothing to cushion our fall as we soared and soared until we finally crashed into the ground.

Then the world went black.

23

GIRLFRIEND VERSUS FATED MATE

The touch of something cold brushed along my forehead, nudging me awake. I went from a lulled state of sleep to panic mode as my eyes shot open and I sat right up.

Hands gripped my shoulders to stop me from falling right off the bed, leaving me in a state of delirium as I tried to blink away my blurry vision and figure out where I was.

My attention was triggered by the last image I’d seen before my world had gone black. “O’Neil,” I whispered and tugged away from whoever was holding me, then fumbled out of the bed.

“Harper!” The voice that called out for me was new to me, like I’d just gotten a taste of the tone of his voice. A tiny bit of me knew exactly who called to me, but I didn’t have time for that.

I have to save O’Neil.

My bare feet ran swiftly across the wooden floor before I whipped the door open to this place and ran into the pouring rain. The chilled droplets that assaulted my flesh were nothing like the immense worry surging through me.

O’Neil meant so much to me. He’d always been the true father I wished adopted Ian and me in comparison to Sam, who was a father on paper but never really showed more than that as the years went on.

O’Neil was always the supportive one. No matter the challenges we had to face throughout our childhood and early teen years, he was always there to give us advice that would leave us hopeful and determined to do better.

It didn’t matter what anyone said to try to bring us down. He strived to understand our point of view and support us in a way no one could really understand. At the brink of danger, he was right there without an ounce of hesitation to try to get to me, but what happened after?

Did…he die?

I shook my head at the mere thought as I ran even faster. I didn’t know where I was going, but did it matter? Every wasted minute could potentially lead to O’Neil’s downfall, and I just couldn’t let that happen.

Something literally hooked around me, picking me right off the ground with a grunt and spinning me around to try to get me to not go ape shit.

“LET GO!” I screamed, slamming my clenched fists against the person’s broad back.

“Fuck, Harper! Cool it!”

“I need to get to O’Neil! He can’t die! He can’t fucking die because of me! It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have run! Sam pushed me down and I couldn’t move in time. O’Neil…O’Neil!”

My hysterics were mixed with sobs as tears fell down my already wet cheeks. I was drenched with water. I gave up fighting, my body already drained from the sprinting I’d just committed. I didn’t even know how far I’d managed to get, or if I was even heading in the right direction, but I just had to know that O’Neil was alive.

That he didn’t lose his life because of me.

“Dammit, Harper.” My feet were lowered to the ground, my body further embraced by the rock-solid body that fought to deliver some sort of comfort. He whispered softly for me to calm down, and I fought hard to control my sobs so I could find out the ultimate truth.

With quiet whimpers, I gathered enough strength to push slightly away from the one who held me, enough for my hands to remain on his bare chest while my eyes locked onto his mismatched ones.

Our rapid breaths slowed as the rain continued to pour down on us. I knew what I had to ask, but those very words stalled in my mouth as I focused on the man before me.

The man I’d dared to forget.

It was all fresh in my mind, and I knew why he’d committed the deed in the first place.

To protect me, Ian, the rest of the pack, and maybe even O’Neil, who’d kept our secret safe.

It took me an added moment to swallow the lump in my throat that wished to keep my throat closed and stop me from revealing that I remembered everything now.

I reached up to press my trembling hand against his cheek, and he looked surprised at my gesture just as glints of confusion danced in his mismatched orbs. I never thought I’d ever know someone as sacrificial as this man before me, and even though there were other things on my agenda that needed to be addressed, this pushed to the surface and left my lips before I could stop them.

“Why are you so selfless, Carter?”

His eyes widened at my words, not because of my question but because this wasn’t directed at his wolf version. Here he stood, in the beating rain that boomed with thunder, looking down at me with those human eyes.

He’d somehow grown to be such a magnificent man, one who still managed to carry a big heart when I bet very few would do the same in return. Even with the dreadful weather, I could smell the pumpkin spice aroma that always revolved around him, and it only confirmed the reality that I’d met each individual of my Sacred Moon pack.

Levi, Damien, Hayden, Heston, and finally, Carter…my Carter.

He wanted to say something, I could see it from the way his lips parted, but no words came out as we stood there. It was like he was left in a stumped state, and no matter the number of seconds that passed, nothing could explain this feeling brewing strongly between us.

This overflowing burst of immense relief.

I couldn’t wait any longer, and I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him down for an intense kiss that made him growl into my mouth and had me in his arms the next second.

He lifted me up like I was nothing and I wrapped my legs around his waist. My arms slid along his neck and I kissed him with heated passion. It didn’t hurt when he pressed me to the nearest tree - the rough bark clearly pressing against the crop top that was far too thin to do anything to protect me from its prickling surface. But I didn’t care about the hint of pain because the pleasure this heated kiss delivered was beyond anything I’d ever experienced.

His touch was electrifying, his heavy breaths making my heart palpitate in anticipation. His hot breath made my entire body sizzle in need, and his lips made me want to forget the rest of the world existed.

I couldn’t understand how I’d survived without Carter being in my life on an intimate level. My brain couldn’t fathom how my body hadn’t reacted this way prior to this vivid moment of thrumming lust.

He’d meant a lot more to me when I was a kid, but I couldn’t comprehend how much more in comparison to Ian.

Now we were older, and nothing could tame the build of desire that was held captive by the spell he used to keep me safe.

He broke the kiss when neither of us could keep up, his forehead pressing against mine as we exchanged light pecks between exhales.

“Fuck,” he cursed and captured my lips once more, all while my fingers ran through his hair while he continued to hold my waist. I couldn’t keep track of how long we stayed in the rain, kissing like our lives depended on it, but I enjoyed every bit of it until we really couldn’t express any more of our love without filling our lungs with enough oxygen.

Breathing heavily, we paused in our make-out session and closed our eyes - foreheads pressed together and our bodies yearning for far more than what we could bargain for in the middle of the forest.

“Why did…you wait so long?” I finally breathed, while attempting to combat the dizziness that took over my senses from the lack of air.

Carter didn’t say anything, but he pulled me into a hug and kept me like that until the spinning seemed to come to a stop. It amazed me how he could sense these little things. Since I wasn’t truly a part of the pack, how would he even know I needed a moment?

“The spell was made to be activated when two things happened,” Carter whispered, and wow, his mere voice made butterflies flutter in the pit of my stomach. The craving to experience so much more with him rose further. “The ring had to be off for a short period of time, and you’d have to kiss me, the Alpha…and well…” He trailed off as if he weren’t sure if it was time to reveal the other part.

I had enough strength to pull back and look into his eyes, and I noticed how tired they were for a brief moment.

“Are you okay?”

“I should be asking you that,” he noted and held me so I could unhook myself from him. “We should get back before you get a cold.”

“We’re both drenched in the rain, silly,” I huffed, because I really couldn’t help talking back when it came to Carter in general. His wolf and I always had to go back and forth, even if I couldn’t understand him, but I could only imagine what he was like in human form now.

A chiseled, extremely sexy man that turned all my insides upside down and made me think of far too many dirty things when this wasn’t the place or time.

“Can we not argue right now?” he muttered, and I rolled my eyes.

“You always start the arguments.”

“How do I start it when you’ve just remembered me?”

“Well? Who’s fault was it that I forgot?!”

“Can we please change topics,” he pleaded, but his eyes paused on me with an abrupt stop and the silence that followed made me feel like something bad was about to happen.

“What?”

When he didn’t reply, I frowned and couldn’t help but cautiously approach him until I was right in his personal space and moving my hand over his face as if I were a mime attempting to feel the invisible wall between us.

“Carter?”

“What’s that mark?” His voice went from annoyed to emotionless, and I felt like I was in trouble for something I knew nothing about.

“W-What mark?” I took a few steps back and quickly tried to assess myself for some type of wound of some sort. “I’m perfectly fine. I’m not wounded…thankfully…what are you-”

He specifically pointed to the mark of the howling wolf - the one that mimicked Ian’s mark on his neck. “That.”

“Uh oh…” Reika was awake, but she looked like she was trying to find the corner of her living space and hide for her own salvation.

What did we do?

“Remember what triggered Carter to run into the forest and get hurt years ago?”

Wasn’t it because he and Ian fought…no…oh fucking shit.

It hit me there and then - the shared kiss with Ian, Carter potentially seeing us, him getting upset and running into the forest, where he was attacked - it all came rolling in and I wasn’t sure what to do or say.

We’re so fucked.

“Oh no. We’re not fucked,” Reika noted but was curled up and about to bury her head into her own white fur coat. “Ian’s fucked.”

“Carter…wait-”

“When did he mark you?” The question wasn’t a friendly request. It was a demand to be answered, the raging anger burning in his eyes as they both began to gleam a striking gold that told me that Ian was so fucking screwed.

“Carter, calm down,” I tried to plead and lifted my hands in a stopping gestured.

“When, Harper!” he demanded, his voice making me flinch cause it was both loud and frightening.

“Sixteen!” I answered and continued, “We accidentally spent the night together. It wasn’t planned. Dolly had to send me back home during our vacation over some dispute at the other sanctuaries and I had no clue Ian had been sent home because Sam had some stupid shit to do! It was completely unexpected and I didn’t know what Heat phase was all about and well…we’d been dating for a while, and I guess….we…did it.”

He didn’t say anything, but he didn’t have to. His aura alone was deadly enough to make me rush to stop him when he turned around and started walking.

“Fuck, Carter!”

He was moving and shifting at the same fucking time, which left me sprinting like an Olympian trying to break the world’s fastest record. If I didn’t stop him, Ian would be dead. I knew that down in my fucking soul.

His speed was increasing, and I realized the place I’d run out of was approaching. If we passed it, there would be no way of stopping him because every swift push of his paws against the muddy soil made him faster and faster in comparison to my human legs.

REIKA! We have to stop him!

Reika uncurled herself, feeling the need to aid me, because if Ian and Wolfie got hurt on our behalf, we’d feel like shit. She rushed forward like the other times, but she crashed into a wall that made me want to puke.

I pushed past the nauseous feeling while Reika’s energy burst through me with such force, I not only caught up to Carter, but I crashed right into him, which made him trip entirely and sent us flying.

“AH!” I screamed because I was literally soaring through the air. We would either land in a damn tree or plummet to the ground, which would definitely break a few bones. All I could do was brace myself, but another eerie sound of bones cracking resulted in strong arms catching me a second before I hit the ground.

Carter fell right back, the two of us now on the muddy ground, drenched with rainwater and sweat. He was heaving as he tried to catch his breath and tame the brewing anger that was surely making him see red, which forced me to scramble into his lap and press my hands against his cheeks.

“I’m sorry!” I apologized without really knowing what I was apologizing for. “I-I don’t know what I did wrong or…what we did wrong, but don’t kill Ian! He…I don’t know if he knows what he did was wrong and I’m clueless as to why you’re so mad, but don’t go hurt him!”

“He doesn’t fucking deserve you defending him,” Carter snapped and lightly pushed me off his lap, getting up. He didn’t shift back to his wolf form, which I assumed was because each shift was tiring to the body and he’d need a moment to recuperate, but it didn’t stop him from moving and I was fighting to get up, ignoring the pain in my feet as I reached to grab his arm to stop him.

“Carter!”

“You don’t understand!” he snapped without looking at me. He pushed my hand away and walked faster, forcing me to run to keep up as I reached for his arm again.

“Carter, please! Ian probably doesn’t-” I grabbed onto his arm, and again, he flicked me away, but it made me flinch at the pain in my wrist. His flick held far more power than he realized, cause I fell right back on my ass and into a puddle of mud.

He came to a stop and looked over at me as I blinked, trying to lower the throbbing pain in my wrist. I wasn’t sure if it was broken or Sam’s hold around it had really bruised it up, but the pain along with being cold as hell and not knowing what the hell I’d done wrong suddenly made me want to cry helplessly.

I tried to blink away the tears that swarmed my eyes while my lips began to tremble.

Carter looked me in the eyes for five seconds before those illuminated, glowing eyes began to dim until the turquoise in his one eye returned and I was looking back at my mismatched-eyed Carter.

I was on the verge of breaking down, but then I got angry, as did Reika. Why was it fair to push me down when I knew nothing about why he was upset? I’d done everything to know as much of the wolf world as I could manage when I was kept in the shadows for my own safety, and yet now I was being penalized for mating with Ian by accident.

He isn’t giving me a damn moment to explain.

I got up fast before I was in his face and slapping him as hard as I could. He seemed shocked and a tiny part of me was too because I’d never hit a man before. This incident reminded me of when we’d first met and he’d tried to attack Muffin for scratching his snout.

This wasn’t the proper way of solving this issue, but the fuming emotions I felt regarding the fact I was lost and simply wished to be found and understood exploded like an erupting volcano.

“IT’S NOT FAIR!” I screamed at the top of my lungs as tears streamed down my cheeks. “How the hell am I supposed to understand something when I’ve been left in the dark about it?!”

I could see he was fighting with how to respond, his blue eye flickering between gold and the ocean color I always admired about his different eyes.

“All I remember is you running into the forest after you saw me and Ian kiss when we were like twelve! Am I supposed to assume you liked me?”

He clenched his teeth and looked away before he muttered. “Liked. You think this reaction is all about a fucking like?”

“Well if you had more of a crush on me, why didn’t you fucking tell me when you could?!”

“I didn’t have a fucking crush on you!” he screamed.

“Then why the fuck are you angry?!” I screamed right back. “What? Because I’m Ian’s girlfriend?!”

“YOU’RE MY FATED MATE!” he roared, his eyes burning gold as he was in my face in a blink. My eyes widened at the sudden movement, but it was his words that began to sink in as his eyes unexpectedly filled with tears.

“Fourteen years!” he shouted. “Fourteen years I’ve had to be the fucking Alpha and put aside my emotions because I had to be the leader. I had to be the one to ensure everyone was safe, fed, taken care of physically, emotionally, mentally, all while doing everything everyone else wanted from me! None of my emotions mattered, nor did whatever I wanted to say about my struggles, weaknesses, and how fucked up it was that I couldn’t truly be with my fated mate. But our last pack member can sweep right in and take her out of my grasp!”

He ran his hands through his hair and turned away to pace and try to control his rapid breathing.

“Every time I had something to say about it, the rest of the world told me to be patient. I had to keep the secret for the safety of my pack and livelihood. I did that for fourteen fucking years, and what did it fucking pay me?”

He stopped his erratic pacing to look at me as I stood there helplessly listening to every word.

“Every winter we were forced to go to other sanctuaries because they knew OUR bond would be triggered if we began to be intimate! Then when things got suspicious, they sent us off to that stupid, stuck-up school just so they could continue to monitor and control me, keep me from claiming what was destined for me! No matter how many times I brought it up, it was no this, no that! Every day was a fucking excuse and yet no one gave a fucking shit about Ian fucking MY destined mate.”

He lowered his gaze for a moment, and I was frightened he’d look at the mark again and rekindle his anger, but he was looking at my chest - the pendent and ring hanging safely from the necklace.

“Ian knew exactly what the ring stood for. I told him and the pack that, for your safety, I placed that ring on you because you were destined for me! Did I need to fucking spell it out for him to realize what I meant? That you are MINE, and I simply couldn’t be with you because I was too fucking weak to ensure you’d be safe from the hands of those who are so desperate to hurt everything I care about!”

I didn’t know what to say as I watched those pooling tears spill down his face as thunder boomed through the air, followed by strikes of lightning that illuminated the forest.

“It’s pack law that every member has to notify their Alpha when they find someone they’re interested in and wish to mark! The moment he marked you, he should have at least had the damn balls to tell me! But no. He continued to keep it a secret, just like he kept the fact he was dating you. Like I was a damn fool! Do you know how desperate the Elders are to kick him out of OUR pack?! How they tried everything under the fucking sun for him to be given to the South just so they could fuck him up and make him feel utterly useless?! Why am I going above and beyond to protect someone who can’t even give me the damn respect I deserve as an ALPHA?!”

His anger was too much as his body shook violently, to the point that he spun away and walked to the nearest tree. He punched it with enough force that it cracked and ignited a split in the middle.

I flinched at the loud sound, while the rain picked up its pace in beating us with its cold pellets.

“He kissed you at the treehouse and knew how hard it was for me to forgive him. He dated you since then and didn’t say a word even though I knew damn well what he was doing. He…fucked and marked you, as if you were his to claim first, and stole all the damn ‘firsts’ I deserved to claim!” He punched the oak tree again and gritted his teeth in anger. “Well if he’s fated for you, where is he now, huh?!”

Another punch.

“At the end of the day when hunters are constantly trying to hurt you on your runs and when you’re in unsafe circumstances when you’re making your way home from the gym by yourself, who’s fucking protecting you?! Not him!”

Another punch.

“He sits on his ass at that station filled with jealous, vile humans who would never appreciate the work and sacrifices he gives them, all while you’re left alone to keep yourself busy to the point that you fucking faint in the forest, and I’M the one who has to protect you from the dangers that continue to try to take you away from us!”

He used the same fist to punch the wooden surface again and again, to the point that blood began to spill down his clenched fist and dropped to the ground. I was crying for him because I hadn’t known all of this and now that I did, it only made sense.

He was hurting because all he did was sacrifice his happiness for his pack and those who painted a picture that he’d be victorious for patience.

Yet in the end, isn’t he still left with none of his expectations filled?

“Everyone wants me to be the superior Alpha! Telling me I have to do all these bullshit things to keep this fucked-up town that isn’t even appreciative of my assistance as the lead investor for this dumb deal! I sacrificed years to everything everyone wanted me to, but at the end of the day, the woman I love has to be put in the line of danger and almost killed? What’s the point of all these sacrifices if I have to save my fated mate from the brink of death? Why am I doing my hardest to protect Ian from falling when he keeps throwing himself into fucking ditches that I have to fill before he gets fucking hurt? Why is nothing paying off?!”

I couldn’t stand there anymore, so I approached him with unsteady steps. I wouldn’t deny that I was truly frightened of him in this state of rage, but if I didn’t stop him and he broke his hand, he’d only further hurt himself and I couldn’t stand for that.

“I’m so fucking tired!” he screamed at the top of his lungs as sobs began to escape him. “When does my break come? When do I get to do the things that bring me joy and be with the woman I’ve loved in the shadows for my entire existence?! Can’t Mother Moon see I’m unhappy?! See that I’m on the brink of self-destruction and no one fucking knows?! How much longer do I have to continue this persona of anger and strength when all I want to do is run freely in the forest, which brings me peace, and be around those who make me happy?! How…fucking…long?”

He tried to hit the splintering surface, but both my hands clenched around his fist, causing him to stop the moment my body pressed against his.

“Carter,” I whimpered. “Stop. Please?”

“Why do you even care?” he cried. “Why don’t you go back to your boyfriend and pretend you don’t remember anything?” He shook me off and tried to walk away but I slammed into his body, hugging him as tightly as I could.

“Let go!” he ordered through clenched teeth as he tried to pry my fingers off his waist, but I only held him tighter.

“Don’t,” I begged with enough emotion that he stilled in his place. “Don’t go…”

My sobs threatened to escape as I fought so hard to keep holding him even though my legs shook violently, as if they had no strength left to keep me up. I was scared of his anger but was frightened that if he parted from my sight, I’d never see Carter again.

“Please…don’t go, Carter,” the repeated words from the past escaped my lips as I began to cry. “You…promised,” I whimpered. “You promised we’d be together again…so…why are you going?”

He cursed and tugged my hands away and tried to walk faster, but I ran forward and managed to pass him - spinning around and colliding into him when he tried to take a step forward. My arms clung to him like our lives depended on it, and maybe they just did.

Maybe our future together depended on this solid moment that needed to turn into reconciliation because neither of us properly communicated just how messed up all of this was.

At the end of the day, none of this was our fault, but the fault of the adults around us that fought to keep us in our own spectrums of the shadows. They wanted to “protect us” but in reality, all it did was pile so much uncertainty and stress, and make us feel like the patience in the heart of secrecy had all been a waste of time.

Time for us to love one another.

Time for us to see what Mother Moon had planned for us.

Time for us to find our path and what we could do to help our precious pack.

Time for us to be together.

“I’m sorry,” I sobbed heavily into his chest. “I’m sorry, Carter. Don’t go. Don’t abandon me. Us. Your pack. Please?”

His body stiffened at my words and even when he placed his hands on my waist to try to tug me away, all I could do was hug him tighter and beg for him to reconsider. This couldn’t end this way, and though I wanted to be strong instead of looking so vulnerable and weak, he needed to see that I relied on him.

That without him, I wouldn’t simply be able to move on.

He’d always been important to me when he was in wolf form, but now that I remembered the truth of the past, it simply reignited what had been in slumber all this while.

The love I had for him.

It was still raw, fresh in its newly budded form, and would need time to flourish the way it should have from the get-go, but I had to make sure he survived long enough for us to try.

Which meant us getting through this hurdle in the road.

We remained still until he sighed and those hands that gripped my waist glided along flesh until his arms held me tightly.

I cried harder then, and he ended up sobbing with me, the two of us shedding tears for everything we’d lost in these years. Things wouldn’t be easy, especially when there was so much we had to fix, but we could work it out together.

We can fix us.

“I’m sorry,” he finally whispered into my hair before he pulled back enough just to look down at me as my eyes pleaded with him to stay. His expression further softened as regret flooded the lines of his face.

“Fuck, Harper. Don’t look at me like that.”

“You can’t go,” I whimpered.

“I’m not going anywhere.”

“Liar,” I sobbed.

“I swear, Harper,” he quietly vowed. “I won’t leave.”

I still wasn’t sure, and he knew it as I held him with every bit of strength I had left. He closed his eyes for a moment as if to calm himself before he opened them again and used his uninjured hand to press lightly on my cheek.

“I still…want this,” he finally confessed, his voice trembling with fear. “I want you. Want us…I’m just angry…and heartbroken, but I shouldn’t have lost control like that. That…wasn’t fair to you.”

With a heavy sigh, he leaned down to press his forehead against mine, and for a brief second, it felt like I was in a different form, one where I was on all fours and pressing my forehead against his, like two wolves would.

“I’m sorry, Harper. Forgive me.”

He’d already been forgiven, and as long as he was safe in my arms, I knew we could get through this together.

I opened my eyes as he leaned back slightly to look for my response. I slowly nodded my head as I whispered, “You’re already forgiven, silly.”

He tried to smile, the gesture filled with so much sadness and regret. I knew this moment of hardship would be one of many, but I felt like we had a chance at overcoming all of this and more.

I reached out to press my hand against his cheeks, just as a tear fell from his eye’s grasp.

He waited for me to make the first move, and I did. I went up onto my tiptoes just as he met me halfway.

The rain began to turn into a light sprinkle as I shared my first true kiss with my fated mate.

24

ASPECT OF THE TRUTH AND FUTURE SAFE HAVEN

“Are we going to get arrested for using someone else’s first aid kit?”

Carter looked at me as I continued to wrap up his hand with the white bandages. We were sitting on the king-sized bed in one of the rooms of this house. I had no idea whose home this was or the whole aesthetic of it other than the fact that it was like a big ass cabin with oak logs that made the room look like one of those older camp homes but with extremely rich decor.

It was pretty hard to explain when most of the lights were dimmed. After our confrontational moment, we didn’t really say much as Carter led the way back to the massive three-floor home in the middle of the forest.

Both of us were kind of lost in our own thoughts, and frankly, I was too drained to bring anything up. With the throbbing pain in my wrist, my aching bones everywhere else, my bruised and blistered feet, and my pounding head that was filled with immense worry after everything that had transpired in what surely was a few hours, I just needed a moment of pure silence.

That was easier to do when I focused on helping Carter bandage up his wounded hand. He said it would heal faster than what would have been weeks if he were human, but he’d need a few more hours and maybe some sleep to compensate.

I, on the other hand, really wanted to crash but the need to aid Carter was the top priority over anything else. I was sure once I finished the deed and potentially got an update of what was going on, I’d be able to slip away into the lands of sleep for a few hours.

I wasn’t in the mood for more confrontation in the morning.

This place didn’t have any clothes other than three shirts and a pack of new boxers - no undies just in case a damsel in distress comes waltzing through the forest drenched from the rain and in need of clothes while her attire is spinning in the washer - so here I was in this oversized white t-shirt with no undies and praying I remained focused on helping Carter and going straight to bed.

He wore black boxers and a simple black t-shirt. His tousled blonde strands were still damp after he took a shower, but overall, he looked far better than before.

My hair was going to need a whole lot of detangling in the morning, but for now, I just gathered it and tossed it into a messy bun. I didn’t have many wounds, just small scratches here and there and some blisters all over my feet.

Carter made it his mission to cover every one with the proper bandages, which I felt was unnecessary, but he wasn’t having any of that. He insisted on treating them properly and wasn’t up for my attempt to negotiate the seriousness of each scratch.

“No,” he replied as he intently stared at me.

“But we used half of the stuff.”

“We can get a new stuff, Harper.”

“But-”

“It’s fine,” he whispered and used his free hand to move a few fallen strands that were in my face to rest behind my ear. I paused in finishing up the last bit of wrapping his hand to stare into his now calm eyes.

How crazy it was to believe half an hour ago those eyes of compassion and wisdom were filled with intense frustration and animosity.

I returned to bandaging his hand, hoping the distraction would stop me from giving in to the need to kiss Carter. From the moment we arrived here, that was all I wanted to do. To kiss him, get to him, do everything we’d simply missed for my own safety.

I was sure there was more to that - aspects of the wolf shifter world I knew nothing about, like these Elders, the people who kept telling Carter what to do, and the responsibilities he had to commit to for the sake of “keeping busy”.

Not to forget him mentioning that he was the leader of the investment team, which meant he’d been trying to save this town the entire time. From what he said, I realized we weren’t the only ones who caught onto the town’s difficulty at taking what was happening right under their noses seriously, and maybe Kira was right.

Is there really any point in trying to save this town from a scandalous deal that would steal their homes, jobs, and sense of security?

It wouldn’t affect us, and I was sure we could at least fight to protect the sanctuary.

Once I finished bandaging his hand, I gently stroked my hand over it to make sure blood was circulating properly. There were so many questions I wanted to ask, but where did I begin?

Do we even have the time to ask any questions?

It wasn’t like the weather was getting any better. After it shifted to a light sprinkle, it went back to pouring rain the moment we got into the cabin mansion. It was like Mother Nature felt pity for us and decided to give us a moment to get to the safety of this home before her anger struck the earth once more.

Thinking that way made me feel special in a sense, and I secretly hoped she and Mother Moon were on our side as we figured out what to do next.

“Meow.”

I frowned at the sudden sound, only to look up to see Muffin was not only here but sitting on Carter’s head without him evening noticing. I gawked in shock as Carter arched an eyebrow and slowly tried to look up just as Muffin leaned over to look down at him.

“Muffin?” I gasped.

“Meow.” She purred and licked Carter’s nose before jumping down onto the bed and kidnapping the roll of bandages.

“Oh no,” I groaned. “She’s going to make a mess.”

“It’s okay,” Carter replied, watching as Muffin rolled along the bed until she literally fell off with the captured equipment. “I’m surprised she followed me.”

“Where were you before?”

“At home with the others. They’re sleeping after spending the majority of the day on the investment stuff,” he admitted.

“That stuff…well…it’s complicated, isn’t it?”

“Very.” He looked full of dread just thinking about it. “Did you know this town was originally supposed to be for wolves?”

I blinked and stared at him. “Really?”

“It’s why it’s called Moonshine Haven. It was supposed to be a safe haven for wolf shifters who are treated poorly by humans. Moonshine is attached cause that’s my last name.”

“Carter…Moonshine,” I whispered. “Moonshine. That’s a nice surname.”

He smiled just slightly as he nodded his head.

“What changed your plans?” I quietly asked, wishing to know why the town hadn’t become the safe haven he and his family were wishing for. “And…does that mean you helped with the creation of the sanctuary?”

“My family did, but since I’m their only son and destined to be an Alpha, the torch gets passed down to me. I didn’t mind at first because I can handle wolves. Most of them simply want a quiet place to live and are not too rowdy unless they want to pick a fight, which usually ends up in a moment of humiliation. They either get really humble after that or they decide to leave the pack and become a rogue wolf, which we sometimes call an Omega.”

He paused to make sure I was following along before he continued.

“We claimed the land and started to invest in the schools and such, but Rogan and a group of wolves said we’d be wasting the space if we only allowed wolf shifters. There weren’t enough of us at the time to really have a good dispute about it, and since I was far too young to really argue, he encouraged us to bring in the humans that were further out in the area to take care of the town.”

“Wait…” I commented as I thought about it. “What’s the incentive for them living in the town temporarily?”

“In the beginning, they didn’t need to pay rent or anything,” Carter admitted. “I don’t really know who agreed to that term, but I wasn’t really around. My primary focus was on the sanctuary and ensuring its safety before I started inviting wolves. I wasn’t in a pack then. That’s when I was recruiting. Only Levi and Damien were around before an agreement was made that they had fifteen years to remain on the land.”

“Fifteen years…so you’re telling me that they haven’t been paying rent or anything for fifteen years?!” My voice grew louder and more shrill with every word until I was literally screaming the last word.

Carter didn’t mind my reaction, and Muffin came back onto the bed to investigate my shrill voice.

“Yes.”

“How has the town been surviving then? Who’s paying the bills and supplying the means to afford purchasing the food, materials, equipment to be sold in stores? How the hell is the town running?”

“My family’s income,” he revealed. “A few wolves have been contributing as well. So far, we have a total of five sanctuaries. One in each directional plane and Sacred Moon is pretty much in the middle. The government gives us funding because the Alphas who work within that sector support our movement but are very aware of the fifteen-year deal. They agreed they’ll give us funding for sixteen years, fifteen which will cover the generosity we’ve offered the humans who are staying in the town, and an additional year to help us clear the town and start inviting wolf shifters from the sanctuaries who would do good in a town and help it be lifted up in all avenues.”

Muffin moved to sit on Carter’s left knee, moving forward until she was inspecting his hand and lightly rubbing her head against it. He smirked and reached out to lightly pet her in thanks as he continued sharing his tale.

“A few wolves have been helping, actually. O’Neil started helping just a bit after you arrived. I think your predicament and case really hit him and though he was never interested in helping the town before because of the negative treatment they give him all the time, I feel he knew that you may not be able to attend the elite school cause of your circumstances so if financially aiding the town made it somewhat bearable and gave you a better childhood, he wished to do exactly that.”

“No way,” I whispered. “But…O’Neil…he’s…”

My eyes were watering with the thought that he’d gotten severely injured or died because of me. Carter’s free hand lightly pressed on my cheek and encouraged me to meet his eyes.

“O’Neil is fine.”

“How do you know?”

“Very few know this. To be very frank, only Levi knows. O’Neil is a part of my pack.”

“Huh?” I blinked and stared at him. “Really?”

He slowly nodded as he continued to brush my cheek with his thumb.

“There are four main packs in our area: North, South, East, and West. To make imagining this easier, think of them as kingdoms. There are of course mini packs, but essentially most wolves live in one of these kingdoms. O’Neil is one of those Omega exceptions. He never wanted to really be tied to anyone because he knows not everything that glitters is gold. A lot of these kingdoms may seem to have really good intentions, but some of them don’t. Some have really bad intentions in their mind but portray another side to the public. Others are truly genuine in nature and aren’t afraid to show it. Finally, a few are simply neutral. They don’t interfere in anything because they don’t want to be involved and lose the peacefulness within their kingdoms. But when there are major conflicts, they’re willing to step up and be involved as voices of reason. It’s a hugely complicated system that I promise to delve into and share with you in detail so you understand, but it’s pretty late today and I’d rather figure out how to get your wolf out first.”

“You believe I’m a wolf?” My voice was tender as I asked the question - and Reika’s head lifted up as she was curious about his answer.

“You are a wolf, Harper.” Not a hint of hesitation was in his words. “Your wolf just needs to be triggered in a way. I’m not sure why there’s a block, but I bet there’s a reason for it. We just have to figure that out.”

“We’ve been trying,” I admitted as my shoulders sank. “Years of reading and trying to understand what I am and why I can’t shift like everyone else. Ian’s been helping, too…but there are just a lot of secrets and we’ve yet to find the truth.”

“I know,” he whispered, and I looked at him once more to see his confident eyes. “Can you be patient a little longer?” he whispered. Staring into his eyes brought a sense of tranquility as my nerves that would have tried to take advantage of this situation dwindled and faded just as fast.

Nodding slowly, I smiled slightly. “I can wait.”

“I promise you’ll be able to shift soon. We’ll figure out a way, together.”

We shared a look and Muffin meowed before she moved up to Carter’s leg once more, catching our attention. She beamed at our gazes before she purposely hit Carter’s knee and ran right off like a thief in the night.

“Always has to get in the final hit,” Carter huffed but didn’t really look upset. That had been their way of supporting one another - as weird as it may appear to others - and I loved that they had come to love one another in their own unique ways.

A unique way of slapping abuse.

“So…if O’Neil…” I didn’t want to complete the sentence and jinx the situation, so Carter answered, “If O’Neil got extensive injuries, I would have felt it. He’s been bonded to me, like the others, for about fourteen years. It’s not really normal for adults to bond with an Alpha who’s but a child, but he was confident in me back then that I wouldn’t be like the other Alphas and adults that become filled with greed and the desire for power. I consider him a bit like an advisor in the pack, though many of us think of him like a good uncle or even father. Levi knows since he’s my Beta, but the others aren’t aware just yet.”

“Kira was saying she has investments in town,” I noted, recalling her revelation from earlier. “She owns a good chunk of the town and bunch of housing complexes. Apparently, I signed a document, which I don’t really remember doing, and will be a multi-millionaire or billionaire by the new year.”

Carter stared at me for a hard minute, and I wondered if he’d treat me differently with this sudden spike of money attached to my name. I hoped not.

“How did you sign something without knowing what you were signing?” I think that was what concerned him more than the fact that I’d gained a bunch of money.

“See…we were drinking and well…”

“Alright. Makes sense.” He didn’t need a further explanation. “Kira does that. Always ends up being a good thing, but it’s a bit of a mind fuck when you agree to something you can’t remember.”

“Why does that make me feel like she’s done that to you before?” I pondered more to myself than anything.

“I’ll reserve that for an after-sex story,” he stated with a playful smirk that made my body hum in pure excitement.

Fucking calm down body! You’re not wearing underwear.

I had to change the topic before my body went wild with desire and put me in an intriguing situation. “Wait a minute. Then if the town knows the fifteen years are up, why aren’t they acting upon it or like…preparing? I mean, they agreed to this so it means they should have been planning to move and for the town closure, right?”

The more I thought about it, the more confused I felt. “And what’s with these investors? The competitive ones? Sam and Rogan are two of them. We had no clue until the confrontation hours ago, but the other three agents wore black suits and were very intimidating. I assume the leader was Christopher.”

Carter didn’t seem pleased with that news at all as he frowned deeply.

“The counter investors are wolves who don’t want to make the town into a safe haven. They’re against my model of creating a peaceful place for wolf survivors of abandonment, abuse, and homelessness. Christopher specifically simply wants the ownership of the land so he can profit from it and well…” He paused as if to think about his response properly. “He wants a base right in the middle to make his own kingdom of wolves that don’t follow any of our rules or the morals of Mother Moon.”

“So he wants to make like what? A battleship? A villainous kingdom? He gives me bad guy vibes with a dose of mafia mob boss, like from movies.”

“Sort of like that,” Carter admitted. “We believe he’s collaborating with the humans to cause the spike in crime.”

“Wait,” I gasped. “He’s contributing to the killings of females?! No wait, are they the hunters?!”

Carter bobbed his head slowly as his eyes darkened.

“Think about it this way,” he began as he reached out for my hand and wrapped his free one around my fingers. “You’ve stayed in a place that provides you job security, food, and shelter for years. This allows you to save all your money or to spend the money you make on anything you like. Some have saved from the beginning and have seen the kindness we offered for allowing them to stay long enough to save so that they can move onto a better space and afford housing, food, and the overall livelihood of their new environment. However, only a few have planned and been anticipating the nearing of the end.”

He smiled in amusement as he carried on. “Some of these individuals or families think we’re absolutely stupid. Year after year, the money these individuals have made from their jobs has been wasted on luxury items, lifestyles, food, and basically making themselves feel good. They’ve raised their standards like they’re kings and queens and projected the same attitudes while raising their children, so you’ve noticed the school system is a mix of humble students who live within the means that they can afford and those who think they’re rich, loaded, kings and queens that would never get a taste of poverty. Others have been sent to the elite schools because their parents continue to think that the money will always continue to flow. There’s no difference in those working governmental jobs, particularly in the police department. Many have become lazy because they signed up for the job with the expectation that crime would never rise in this town. Small towns normally don’t deal with any crazy mishaps. Arguments and murder once in a while are expected, but no one thought the murders and crimes going on now would happen and that’s why we’re seeing a divide.”

“Because these people never truly had the intention of risking their lives for the people. They were there for the money,” I concluded.

“Yup,” Carter agreed. “All for the money so they can shower their partners and children with expensive gifts and a luxurious lifestyle they’re not equipped to continue when they’re forced to move out.”

“I’m curious,” I whispered. “These recent luxury stores, or maybe it’s been a trend over the years, are they placed there on purpose then?”

He smirked as he slowly bobbed his head.

“When the first year of this plan happened, everyone was pretty humble and grateful, but as years went by, people forgot. Humans aren’t like wolves who like to keep up with their heritage or pass on knowledge and wisdom to remind people of the sacrifices others have made for them to live the livelihood they are. More families began to forget as the grandparents who were present for these changes passed away. Some intentionally forget because they don’t want to lose this privilege. Being able to save every penny or use it on their own accord is like a dream come true, but we had to play things smart too, because as sad as it is, humans aren’t the most grateful in the hierarchy of living beings,” he elaborated. “The pop-ups and luxury stores are 100% owned by myself or Kira. She suggested that we should put these stores up as a reward system at first. This was before Kira moved down to the town to observe and see things through, but it was a smart plan. The luxury stories would give these families and individuals places to use some of their earnings to purchase luxury items to make them happy and wish to work harder. However, it came to a point that many of these individuals and families made owning these luxury items, from clothes to bags and other common items men and women invest in, as a competitive show of wealth. It became less of a reward system and more of a demand to be better than the rest of the community. People would flaunt their recent bags, and as you know, every season something new arrives. It became a desperate need to be ‘on trend’ so all this money they would make from working that should have been invested and saved for the approaching end of the contract was wasted on these items for show.”

“And their children are no different,” I dryly noted. “At the local schools, it’s like a fashion show. Everyone wants to look the best with branded clothes, like simple tops like what we’re wearing that could be five dollars at the thrift store would be considered five hundred dollars in these luxury stores,” I voiced. “Doesn’t that mean all the money goes back to you guys, then?”

The way he smiled with a hint of mischief dancing in his eyes made me laugh.

“Wow.” I was seriously impressed. “Y’all are smart.”

“We try to be,” he reasoned.

“Then why are you missing investors?”

“We’re not,” he revealed, which interested me. “We have more than enough to have the town not only be vacant, but also to do everything these new investors wish to achieve and more if we really focused on it.”

I gawked in shock. “Really? Then…why are you fighting against them?”

“We’re pretending to fight against them,” he revealed. “We wanted to see if this town was truly grateful for being in this environment for so long and to witness whether they would fight for the livelihood of this town when threatening investors are approaching to try to take everything for their own selfish reasons. It wasn’t a planned act, because it’s true that Christopher and his two goons convinced Sam and Rogan that they would make a fortune by going against their own and selling the town to them for investment properties, but think of it more like a test.”

“A test,” I whispered.

“We tested the town’s loyalty and gratitude for our actions and they failed. These sudden investors are also a test because they just proved their intentions for not only the humans but for the wolf shifters. You never would have expected Sam to be going against the sanctuary, right?”

“Not at all.” I sighed. “Rogan, maybe, because he’s an ass every day of the week, but not Sam. Dolly has been working hard trying to make sure we stay afloat because Sam’s become an alcoholic deadbeat.”

“There’s more to that, but we’ll save that for another day,” he reasoned.

“If you know who’s working to encourage these hunters and the killings, why isn’t anything being done?”

“We technically can’t fully interfere until the contract is up,” he admitted. “Which is the end of the year. But we may have an opening.”

“Really?”

“In the contract, it says if the town won’t be peaceful with the leaving efforts, the contract will be voided and the immediate removal of the town’s residents and any shifters wishing to take advantage of the contract will commence.”

“No way!” I was literally shocked as he smiled. “Doesn’t that mean today’s confrontation and then the whole car explosion-”

“Was an act of disruption, violence, and protest in the peaceful removal of the humans in the town, and thus by the morning, I’ll get the green light to start closing down the town and removing everyone from it.”

“Doesn’t that mean they’re all going to be homeless?” I inquired.

“Nope.” He was getting excited with my inquiries. “This is where the investment homes come in. Christopher and his goons tried to purchase them underhandedly so that the forced residents would have no choice but to pay triple the pricing and basically become broke. That caused them to feel threatened and angry and would backfire on our town once we enhance it and open it back up with all wolf shifters. In order to prevent this, Kira purchased all of the homes nearby in all directions, and she placed your name as the primary investor and her as the backup,” he explained. “To outsiders, the prices would be far too ridiculous for anyone to truly purchase. Maybe a few brave souls hoping they can further the investment, but generally speaking, no one will spend triple the money on a standard home. Within our circle, these homes will be assisted living. Kind of like government housing, in a sense. We’ll have the government monitor the humans who decide to take our affordable housing plans and temporary shelters for six months.”

“Why six months?”

“That’s honestly the amount of time I’d need to ensure all humans are out of the system, including the school, and revamp the entire town,” he revealed, and I could see his vision as he described it. “There’d be private schools that will teach wolf shifters of their heritage, give them a safe place to come into their own as young adults, various employment for various ages, whether they’re teenagers or elderly who wish to do something to keep occupied, all while forming a large pack that we can rely on. The police station would be upgraded entirely and with some additional help, we could ensure the safety of the town with extra barriers that would make it tricky for any humans with bad intentions to enter our space. Our sanctuary will specifically accept endangered wolves of younger ages and help them grow until they’re old enough and ready to choose one of the four other kingdom packs. That won’t happen now. It may take another fifteen years to really set up and I’d want to make sure the crime rates are pretty nonexistent, but that’s the goal.”

He looked into my eyes, the flaming determination hyping me up further.

“Those humans who trust in us and wait the entire six months in the affordable housing plan will be offered to put a down payment on the house at the original purchase price Kira got it for and not the inflated costs that are showing up with the sudden spike of interest. This will allow them to get a mortgage that is well within their means, and they’ll own the property when they are finished. Those humans will be allowed entry into the town during certain times of the year to purchase goods at reasonable prices and will be offered specific protection for their neighborhoods.”

I didn’t even know what to say. This was all planned out perfectly.

“Then, what’s the problem with them moving out when they can get affordable housing and vacate with little loss?” I had to ask the prime question because I didn’t understand what the problem was.

Ya, they would lose their jobs, but they could still venture outward to get a new one. As long as they had a reasonable shelter at an affordable payment plan for the next six months they would be fine. That was a perfect grace period for them to start over.

“Not everyone is going to accept the affordable housing offer,” Carter simply put with a shrug.

“Why? That’s like…stupid!” I countered.

“I agree with you,” he reasoned. “It’s all about ego.”

“Ego?”

“Think about all these families flaunting their Prada and Louis Vuitton bags while technically having nothing in their bank accounts. No savings, no cushion, nothing. They’ve been projecting to the world that they’re living the wealthiest lives you can ever imagine, especially with the rise of social media and this need to be on-trend. So what’s going to happen if people find out these individuals are on affordable housing?”

I cringed. “They’re gonna feel humiliated.”

“Yup, and people would rather suffer than feel like a fool in their own cliques and communities.”

“But like…all of them are poor or trying to be something they’re not. Wouldn’t they find some sort of acceptance and just take this opportunity for a short period of time? I mean, they’ll get a roof over their heads.”

“It’s never been about the house or having shelter,” Carter admitted. “It’s all about ego and their images. When you see a police officer, you immediately give them respect because you know they help the community and protect us from harm. Just like you give a paramedic respect for saving people’s lives. We give initial respect to people simply because of the image, and that respect either rises or falls based on their personality, which not everyone will discover. Even if their livelihood is threatened, it’s not a priority in comparison to the image, and that’s why they won’t accept the offer.”

“So then what? They’ll purchase something out of their means?” It was absolutely stupid.

“This is where the banks will profit the most in the city. They’ll go and state that the town is closing down and they won’t have the best credit or history due to their voluminous spending of money. The banks will be lenient because they can make a profit through these families with expensive interest rates. These families won’t know any better because they’ll simply be excited to be approved and take the mortgage plans offered for the homes they desire that fit their images. They won’t read the fine print and will continue trying to project that they’re wealthy until all their money drains out, which will be a good six months if you calculate the current mortgage payments. The government may assist for the first three months, which they can apply for in secret, but basically, the money will run out in the next three months.”

“Then they’re screwed.”

“Essentially,” he concluded. “Most of them with kids going to the elite schools will have to drop out, and not all of them paid everything off. Some took student loans, so those will be on their kids’ heads while they have their own loans to deal with. And in terms of jobs, that’s all up to them, but chances are with some of these families relying on their lazy fathers who do nothing at the jobs they’re currently at, like the police station, they won’t last long, nor will these individuals be able to find a government job suitable for them since they don’t truly have the proper training or aspiration to potentially sacrifice their lives.”

“So those who’ve had ill intentions this entire time will finally get what they deserve and those who’ve been pure-hearted and grateful for what they’ve been given will come out victorious,” I summed up.

“Yup,” Carter agreed. “Those who were mocked for being humble will now live in one of the newest and richest neighborhoods outside this town. We haven’t said anything, but these homes will be renovated from the inside out so those who accept the affordable housing plan will be getting a brand-new renovated home, which will go up in value the moment the six months is up and they’ve made their down payments. Damien estimated it and it could be a good one to two million per home.”

“S-Seriously?!” I gasped.

“Mhmm,” he replied with pride as he grinned. “With the spike of interest now, it may rise further than that. Regardless, their mortgage plans would stay fixed so they’ll be paying an extremely low rate with barely any interest so all the money they do make will be in their discretion to spend or save however they like.”

“What about jobs?” I inquired.

“Kira and her friend Dominique have various investments in the city. They can easily offer them a line of employment if they wish to work at higher pay rates, so they’ll work less but make more.”

“So they’ll basically be able to live a luxurious lifestyle like those who mocked them,” I stressed. “Wow. The ultimate payback.”

“That’s how we have it set up.”

“Then what do we do about those who don’t want the town to be a peaceful haven? Like Christopher and them?”

“We have multiple packs coming from around the world, particularly the United States, to aid us as backup. All we have to do is deal with arresting those who’ve committed fraud, which won’t be long with the recent explosion incident.”

“Then Sam?”

“By the afternoon, the police should be knocking on the sanctuary’s door.”

“What about Dolly?”

“She’s coming back now due to the explosion incident.”

“Does she know I’m safe?”

“Probably not.” It seemed like he hadn’t considered it. “Neither does the pack, to be frank. I kind of zoned everything out.”

“Carter! You’re making them worry unnecessarily!”

He pouted his lips and huffed, “Let them suffer a little bit.”

“You just want Ian to suffer,” I concluded. “The others probably know your tactics.”

When he didn’t say anything, I groaned and slapped his hand, which made him flinch.

“AH! Abuse!”

“Good! Now you have a glimpse of what Ian’s feeling for leaving him in the dark,” I huffed, but stared at his hand for five seconds and slowly reached out to rub the place I’d lightly tapped. “Sorry hand.”

“You realize apologizing to a limb doesn’t make me feel any less pain, right?”

“Hmph. I don’t need to listen to your smart ass.”

He huffed, which sounded more like a laugh. “You’re faster with me than when I’m a wolf.”

It was my turn to pout, but I couldn’t help but lean forward until my lips lightly brushed his. He arched an eyebrow in question, though our lips remained connected before our eyes closed and we enjoyed the sweet kiss.

“What was that for?” he whispered as we parted slightly.

“An ‘I’m proud of you for enduring so much on your own’ kiss.”

He looked into my eyes as I tried not to get emotional about it all. “You’ve done so much, Carter. Like…look at all the planning and details in executing a plan that looks so simple on the outside. These people have no idea what you’re doing to help them…to give them everything they’re worried about losing and more when the reality is, if the tables were turned…they would never do it for our kind.”

His eyes softened at the truth, and I wrapped my hands around his.

“You’re not only just an Alpha of your pack but a leader in so many areas, and you did all of this while going to school and balancing the responsibilities bestowed upon you by these Elders. Like…you do so much…and I guess it makes me realize how immature some of our actions have been.”

“You didn’t know about this world, Harper,” he quietly reasoned. “You can’t feel guilty about it.”

“You’re right, but I still do,” I confessed. “As well as see why Ian’s behavior really grinds your gears.”

“Ian…” he paused as if to really think carefully of his words, “has a good heart. He has good intentions, but he’s been trained to see things in a tunneled vision. A bit of it’s my fault because I couldn’t fight harder for him to be involved in certain things. He’s basically an outcast for a certain reason I can’t share with you until we unlock your wolf, but when I say those in power want to get rid of Ian and make him into a puppet, I mean every bit of it.”

“But why? Is Ian…dangerous?”

“Ian’s special,” Carter whispered. “Just like you and I are special. People, regardless of being human or wolf shifters, don’t like those who are specially gifted and still carry good hearts. They’ll do anything to crush the hope we carry for our world so that when we become villains, it gives them every opportunity to prove to the rest that they determined the outcome all along.”

“When in reality, they’re the ones who promoted the leap to the dark side,” I whispered.

“Exactly. That’s what happened with Christopher,” he muttered and sighed. “My head hurts.”

“Do you want Tylenol? I’m not sure if this house has any,” I voiced and got off the bed to head to the washroom’s medicine cabinet.

“It’s fine,” Carter reasoned, but I still went on a search.

“Whose house is this, anyway?” I casually asked while attempting to look at the current bottle of meds to ensure they weren’t expired. I felt Carter’s presence behind me but didn’t expect his arm to hook around my waist and his chin to rest upon my shoulder.

“Yours.”

I stopped reading the medicine bottle in my grasp, his husky voice and the single word that left his smooth lips freezing my entire body.

“W-What?”

Slowly I turned in his hold so we were centimeters apart while our bodies pressed against each other. He was clearly struggling to focus on the topic at hand as his eyes lowered to my lips, just like my eyes did to his.

He managed to fight against the spike of sexual tension between us to answer, “This place is yours. Well…I guess yours and Ian’s.”

“What do you mean?” I didn’t understand.

“Ian’s been saving to purchase this since you were sixteen. It was in the preconstruction stage and the owner of the land wished to reserve the space until he was ready to make an official bulk payment. For now, he’s paying little monthly installments just to show he’s interested, but with the recent rumors that the town may potentially be closed, the owner has been pressured to sell and give Ian back his money.”

I gawked in horror. I could only imagine the disappointment that would rush through Ian after years of contributing to this vision. Even if he got his money back, I doubt we’d be able to get anything that was already built - let alone afford a big sum to put down to secure the home.

“Then…”

“A few people put in offers, and well, someone bought it.”

“Oh,” I whispered and couldn’t hide my sadness about it.

“I bought it.”

My eyes widened, and I looked back up at him in shock.

“You…bought…it?” My eyes were glassy in seconds as he nodded in confirmation.

“I bought it and told the owner to continue processing the payments from Ian’s account but wire them over to mine. There’s no interest or anything, so he’ll simply pay the exact amount promised to him back then.”

“Doesn’t that mean the price went up with it being on sale?”

“It did, but I don’t need the added money.” He shrugged. “So it’s yours and Ian’s. Your names are on the official document.”

“Carter…aren’t you going to tell Ian?”

“Why?” he inquired. “He doesn’t need to know that the owner was pressured to sell to the highest bidder. It’s not the owner who wished to do it, but when everyone’s pressuring you, it’s not something you can ignore without making enemies, so I took that load of stress off his shoulders. Ian continues paying until he can clear it out, and you both get the home of your wishes.”

“But we’re not going to stay here alone,” I voiced. “The pack is coming here too.”

“I don’t think that’s on Ian’s agenda, love,” he whispered.

“It’s on my agenda!” I stressed. “I’m not letting you continue to put yourself last! It’s not fair. You go above and beyond for every living thing that moves. I’m not going to shun you away! Even if we weren’t fated mates, I wouldn’t abandon you and the pack. You guys…you’re everything to me, and you’re mine! You’re my pack, and I’m not dropping you off and going to live with just Ian here. It’s a three-floor mansion. There’s enough space for everyone and more than enough land for us to do our own thing.”

“What if he doesn’t like it?”

“Well, he better suck it up or I won’t hesitate to reveal the damn truth!” I huffed. “You have to stop sheltering him.”

“He can’t handle the truth, Harper.”

“Maybe he can’t, but he’s not going to get any stronger if you keep protecting him from the ruthless parts of this world! He’s not a baby anymore, Carter. He’s a man, just like you! He has to harden his balls and see the world is far more challenging than what happens at the police station. And that starts with you backing away so he can appreciate what you’re sacrificing for his safety and comfort.”

“Where would that start?” he whispered.

“Me.”

He wasn’t expecting my response as he met my gaze.

“He has to know that he went against the pack rules for not telling you that he mated me. If I knew about it, we would have done something about it, and I would have certainly known about us,” I emphasized. “He has to apologize to you and the pack, and understand how such secrecy hurt you, especially.”

“Harper.”

“No.” I placed the meds down on the side of the sink so I could press my hands against his cheeks and he’d have no choice but to look at me.

“No more secrets! No more babying the people around you who can’t even acknowledge the good heart you have and the actions you do to protect everyone else but yourself. I may not know half of what I need to make a proper decision, but no way do I approve of you being a damn scapegoat, you hear?!”

“No one would care, Harper,” he muttered.

“I care!” I growled. “You’re mine too!”

That surprised him, and he knew from my intense glare I wasn’t backing down.

“I don’t give a shit if the whole world hates that you’re finally being selfish for once in your life and allowing yourself to stop being the world’s protector! It’s your time to live, Carter Moonshine, and the moment this contract is voided, and things start rolling out, you back off and focus on yourself!” I declared. “You will do what YOU want, make decisions that satisfy your agenda, and you will make barriers, so people don’t cross the line.”

“What if my agenda revolves solely around you?” his voice was so low, I almost missed it, while his eyes darkened with a spark of hunger that wished to swallow me whole. “What if I just want a moment of time for only us? For me to…make up for lost time…and to show you this world that has been hidden from you?”

He inched closer and closer, and I didn’t fight the magnetic pull that urged me to meet him halfway. Our shared kiss wasn’t sweet like the others. It was fierce, hot, passionate, and made my whole body prickle with lust.

I couldn’t pull away as his taste alone was far more addicting than I would have expected with a long kiss, and he groaned into my mouth before deepening the kiss further. How this man managed to lift me up was a question for another day as he got me sitting up on the sink counter and was between my bare legs.

I shivered at the touch of his obvious hardness that pressed against his boxers, all while my pussy felt the breeze of my surroundings while I grew wetter with every movement of his lips against mine.

I moaned when he used his free hand to go down my leg to my knee and up my thigh, and it felt so sensational just with his touch alone.

“Baby,” he growled. “I can smell your need.”

Even I could smell my own arousal building, which encouraged my body further at his acknowledgment. There was something so different about Carter and the way he kissed or touched me.

It was like someone who knew exactly what they were doing and wasn’t hesitant to claim what was theirs. It was his confidence that really shined brightly in this element that was so foreign between us, and yet being together in this sexual limelight felt so naturally beautiful, I didn’t want it to stop.

He broke the kiss and began to trail down the side of my neck, sucking harshly before kissing every spot. I moaned and let my head fall back, just as I arched my back further because the sensations were beyond amazing.

It was like zaps of pleasure would shoot down with every touch of his lips upon my flesh, and I had no choice but to endure this luscious ride because it was a newly formed addiction that I wasn’t ready to give up on.

His free hand managed to slip between my legs, and I only further spread them so he could tease my entrance and rile me up further.

“Carter,” I moaned, wishing we could fuck here and now. My body was begging for it, and I bet he knew it, but he continued to tease me by just rubbing his fingers along my entrance, going faster and faster, until I didn’t realize I was cumming as it whiplashed through my body with immense pleasure.

“Ah!” My body was rigid as I endured the wave of pleasure that assaulted my senses, and God, I was even more turned on because this man had simply rubbed my entrance and made me cum.

“The washer is done,” he whispered and pulled far enough back to help us think straight.

“You are not going to leave me hanging over some wet clothes.”

The way he smiled was fucking priceless as he purposely let me watch him lick his glistening wet fingers.

“That I am, fated mated.”

“You can’t just leave your mate hanging like that!”

“I didn’t,” he noted. “You came.”

“And you didn’t.”

“Sacrifices.”

“Carter Moonshine! We just talked about this!”

“You said it starts when the contract is up, which is in the afternoon.” He used my sense of reason against me, and all I could do was gawk in horror as I dramatically pressed my hand against my chest.

“You did not just use my own words against me.”

“I did,” he reasoned and turned away. “But to be fair, I want to make it very clear to your boyfriend that I’m done waiting to claim what’s always been mine.”

That surprised me as he looked back at me.

“You’re everything I’ve dreamed of and more, Harper Blake, and I have every intention of taking you on a sex rollercoaster trip that ends in pleasurable oblivion, but on my terms,” he announced. “That means I do want to fuck you here and now and not even give Ian the respect he couldn’t give me in return, but I also want to be the better person, and that’s treating you like the queen you are.”

His words made my heart swell at his selflessness.

“Let’s deal with what’s ahead by getting some rest. After that, I will make your words come to fruition and get my time with you to do everything we wish to do,” he vowed. “I’ll show you the true world of shifters, and all the secrets kept from you will be revealed. That, I solemnly swear, will come true.”

With those words, he turned away, and for a solid moment, his actions didn’t make me think of him as just an Alpha.

His actions reminded me of a king, and it was humbling to know that I’d one day be a queen standing by his side.

25

THAT’S OUR GIRL AND CLAIMING MY PACK

~CARTER~

“IF THIS BOY says our name one more time…”

I forced one of my heavy eyelids open, noticing that it was still dark. It had to be five in the morning, the sun merely glimmering upon the horizon in preparation for the approaching sunrise.

My head was pounding like crazy, and though I’d refused to take Tylenol earlier, I was beginning to regret it, cause fuck. My head was killing me.

I’d said far too much to Harper and that was the consequence of pushing the spell placed upon my consciousness devoted to keeping things a secret from anyone outside of my pack. I didn’t really care, and if I had to do it again, I would, but I was at least thankful Harper had taken the news of everything transpiring behind the scenes in a positive light.

Well, maybe this is just one side of the coin of change.

I couldn’t truthfully tell her the role she carried, which started from the hidden crown hovering over her head. I needed to figure out a way to unlock her wolf so we could stop beating around the bush regarding who was entitled to what.

Looking over to my side, I watched Harper’s sleeping figure. She wore just her panties and the borrowed top of mine I’d left here just in case I needed an emergency set of clothes after shifting.

Leaning over, I pressed a light kiss to her forehead, watching as her slightly parted lips formed a pout before she muttered something completely incoherent.

With the full moon here, I was a bit worried she’d sleepwalk tonight and waltz around the forest when I wasn’t at my strongest, but it looked like she’d been just as drained as I had because she’d fallen asleep soon after our discussion.

My senses tingled as I decided I better stop being an ass and face the music. It wasn’t like everyone was pestering my Alpha senses. Levi knew if I was unavailable - whether I needed some space or I’d fallen in battle - that he was in charge and he’d have to make sure everything rolled smoothly in all areas of business that I dealt with.

The explosion and the sight of me jumping in to try to save Harper would have been seen by the wolves that came to assist O’Neil. I wouldn’t be surprised if everyone was trying to say I was dead - figures - but I’d trained Levi for years, and I knew whatever I could do, he could do even better and blow all those controlling fuckers’ minds.

Only one naive member in our pack was bugging my damn senses and making it almost impossible to recuperate enough for all the bullshit I’d have to deal with in a few hours once I brought Harper back home to the sanctuary.

“CARTER!”

The drumming in my head escalated at the piercing noise, and I had to fight not to groan and potentially wake Harper up.

Slowly slipping out of bed, I noticed Muffin’s head lift up. She’d been sleeping on one of the pillows between our heads, and my movement had clearly woken her up.

“I’ll be back,” I whispered and pointed at Harper. “Watch Harper for me. Make sure she doesn’t sleepwalk around.”

Muffin blinked a few times before she was up and literally made her way onto Harper until she was sitting on her chest. The movement made her stir just slightly, but Muffin began to purr, which settled Harper down instantly.

I knew for a fact that when Muffin “sat” on Harper - whether it was on her lap when she sleepwalked over to the living room and sat down or on her chest, like now - our girl wouldn’t move. I’d yet to determine if that was her way of subconsciously not disturbing the kitten who “choose” to sit on her or whatnot, but it worked to keep her in place.

“Thanks, Muffin.”

“Meow,” she replied and began grooming her feet.

With a slight smile, I stretched my muscles that were screaming in protest before I took a few deep inhales and let them out.

Quietly making my way to the entrance of the house, I quickly secured the security system and headed out. It didn’t take me long to catch onto Ian’s scent. He held a pinch of cinnamon to his aroma.

I hadn’t really prepared myself for our confrontation, which may turn into a bad idea with how angry I was. My wolf’s fury was what I truly worried about because if he sincerely wished to kill even one of our own, he’d do it and override the control I carried.

Our dynamic was based on a mutual agreement, but there were some things you couldn’t just control with words. Actions meant a big thing in the world of wolf shifters, and Ian’s actions were a lot more hurtful than he realized.

I knew if I told the others, they would be upset. Levi, Hayden, and Heston would be a bit forgiving because they held a bit of brotherly pity for Ian. Hayden and Heston particularly because they were the second youngest in our pack dynamic.

Levi would simply forgive for the sake of maintaining the peace, though it wouldn’t mean he’d let him off so easily.

Damien was the tricky one, for he was not only protective and by the book when it came to wolf shifter laws, but he was stubborn and hated anything that felt like a betrayal.

What Ian did felt like a betrayal to me, but I had to be the better person.

Harper was right, though. I didn’t have any barriers or boundaries to protect myself. I let the whole world put everything on my shoulders and I honesty did struggle with simply saying no.

I went above and beyond to make everyone else around me happy because that was what I had to do to get praise, to be loved by those in high positions, even though they looked down upon me.

Yet, I was doing far too much for my own mental sanity.

Over the years, the others had stressed that I didn’t need to do certain things to please the Elders and all those in power, but it felt like a duty I had to carry. That by doing so, it would bring me closer to revealing the truth to Harper.

Obviously, such methods weren’t getting me anywhere, nor did these people have any intention of her finding out the truth and where she fell within this power play.

Maybe that was my fault. I’d fallen into their trap and hadn’t seen that I was being used and abused until Harper had to slam the truth into my face and make me realize what a fool I was being.

Where could I have been now with her by my side? How much further would we be as a couple if I had her support and insight?

She probably felt she was weak or vulnerable in this world because she couldn’t shift. I wished she knew what a wild card she was. It was only a matter of time before people heard about the investment in her name.

I heard she’d been struggling to get the documents regarding her family’s murder, but little did she know having this house in her name and the sudden investments added to her file would make those who were purposely delaying processing work overtime to get her the documents she needed.

She’d not only get the documents she’d been requesting, but they would speed the process of the inheritance and most likely deposit it without wasting her time.

And they say money doesn’t make the world go round.

Today’s confrontation would be a mess if it ever happened. If I were Sam, I’d purposely hide somewhere I could stay without too many eyes on me. My best guess was he was at his own home because it was out of the public view. He must have heard of Dolly’s return, so he’d try to convince her he was sabotaged or some bullshit.

Regardless, I knew Dolly was a smart cookie, even though she gave off the impression she didn’t know what was going on. Sometimes acting naive gave you an advantage, but unlike Ian, who was probably clueless about what was happening, Dolly knew exactly what was going on.

And all the lies would be exposed soon enough.

I noticed the sudden shift in the weather, the temperature far colder than before as light sprinkles of snow began to rain down upon us. I paused in my walk to reach out and catch one of the snowflakes.

Lowering my free hand, I looked down at the crystalized flake, watching it melt into tiny beads of water in the palm of my hand. Holding Harper’s hand in mine felt so nice. I never really took in how nice it was to simply hold the person you love’s hand in yours.

I didn’t know the level of comfort you experienced from a simple touch like this, and when we hugged each other and fell asleep together, it only further heightened my current reality.

I had to remind myself to not put the blame solely on Ian, but that was the trouble I carried mentally as I fought the heavy thoughts and infuriated emotions that deserved redemption. Maybe if Ian hadn’t marked her and just dated her like he had been prior, it wouldn’t be nagging every strand of rage pooling inside me.

To say I had anger issues was an understatement, and though I’d never take that out on Harper, or any woman, in the form of physical abuse, I had to be careful and get it sorted because I couldn’t get into an argument of that level with Harper again.

I felt like I was about to self-destruct, and maybe if I didn’t see the way Harper’s eyes filled with fear and hopelessness, I would have lost her before I’d gotten to tell her some of the truth behind everything.

The footsteps that skidded to a stop pulled me out of my daze as I lifted my gaze from my hand to the huffing man standing a few feet from me.

His head was already darting from side to side, those silver eyes scanning all around in search of one person: one woman who lit up both our worlds.

“Where’s Harper?!” he demanded, and that tone alone had my wolf growling like a maniac in three seconds flat. The annoyance with a drop of pain must have taken over my expression because Ian flinched and quickly added, “Sorry. I know you don’t like when we nag you.”

“Nag? Calling our name fifty-seven times in three hours is not fucking nagging! That’s assault. Fucking-”

I cut my wolf off, hoping he’d have his nagging moment on his own instead of further contributing to my pounding headache.

“It’s not your nagging that bothered me,” I muttered, even though it was. “It’s your inability to recognize that I’m your Alpha and that if I’m silent, there’s a reason behind it.”

My statement made him realize, yet again, the disrespect he’d shown without greeting me properly. “Sorry, Alpha,” he corrected and bowed his head slightly. I wasn’t in the mood to prolong this, so I decided to be easy on him.

I should stop doing that.

“Why are you here?” I asked.

“Harper,” he stressed. “Didn’t you hear about the explosion?! She was at the center of it. No one can find her. They said you were there, so I figured-”

“I’d be your best bet to find her?” I concluded. “You do realize I was there for business, right?”

When he didn’t say anything, I sighed.

“You need to start looking at the whole picture of things, Ian,” I lectured. “Or else you’ll find yourself right in a trap and you’ll have no one else to blame but yourself.”

“T-That’s not true,” he tried to argue.

“Someone says Harper is hurt and in an abandoned alley. What are the chances you’re going to run there like you’ve proceeded to do now after hearing I was in the area of the incident involving Harper?”

He nervously gulped, and that gave me the answer.

“You would have landed yourself in that alley surrounded by your enemy and become a victim of their cruelty all because of your foolishness,” I concluded.

He looked to the ground - a common habit of his - and I decided this was a waste of my time. I wanted to go back and sleep in that warm bed with Harper.

“Harper’s with Kira,” I announced. “She’s fine, but laying low. She’ll come back to the sanctuary in the afternoon.”

“Really?” His tense shoulders sank as it began to settle in that he was basically worrying for nothing. As much as I wanted to tell him the truth, I also knew saying she was in the cabin he’d been paying off, sleeping in the same bed with me, wouldn’t do anyone any good.

If a little lie made sure we didn’t deal with drama in our own pack, I’d do it over and over again.

“Yes,” I replied with a hint of annoyance. “Is that it?”

He frowned as he fidgeted in place. “Um…I guess.”

There was a moment of silence, and I must have mistakenly let my guard down, because otherwise the next words wouldn’t have left my lips.

“When did you mate with her?”

Oh fucking hell. Dammit! Why the hell did you just do that?

“Because you’re a fucking coward against a bigger coward. I ain’t about this dancing, playing safe bullshit! Let’s hear his damn explanation. I dare him to say some stupid-”

I cut him off again, this time making sure I had a strong enough hold that he wouldn’t slip into control as easily as he just had.

Ian looked like he’d expected me to ask something else, but now that I’d revealed what I’d just recently found out, he was screwed - and he knew it.

He closed his mouth and was clearly trying to figure out what to say, but I really didn’t have the patience. “I saw the mark on the left side of her lower waist, and don’t get all bitchy with me about seeing it.”

He could hear the slight anger laced in my voice as I attempted to stay calm. I mean, I couldn’t be too harsh on myself. Any other Alpha would have had Ian skinned alive for the rest of the pack to see or challenged him to the death and let everyone see the Alpha rip his head off as a valuable lesson about respecting your Alpha and the pack laws.

Many mocked me for my ways of raising my pack because I wasn’t a ruthless asshole who belittled woman, used them as slaves for sex and other methods of pleasure. I wasn’t a slave driver of the men in the pack, letting them kill each other for top spots and ranks in the pack that determined their livelihood.

I was about fairness, but sadly, they weren’t. No one cared about that because being fair didn’t ensure your pack stayed alive if a war ever broke out.

I didn’t blame their way of thinking.

His silence drew on and I decided to prompt him again.

“All I’m asking is when. I didn’t say break up with her.”

“Christmas holiday. When she was sixteen.”

“The time when you two were both here alone since Dolly and Sam got urgent calls to do shit at the North and West sanctuaries?” I summed up. I simply had to put the pieces together to know what occurred years ago after Harper told me her circumstances and what led to her and Ian hooking up.

She was honestly innocent in this, and it wasn’t like I was truly upset with the deed itself. As much as I would have wanted to be the one to take her virginity, maybe it was better for Ian, who was inexperienced and would take his time with her, to do it.

With that being said, what did disturb me was that he assumed I wouldn’t be okay with it. He knew what he was doing was bad, and to top it all off, he’d marked her - whether by accident or on purpose.

Most importantly, he said nothing about it for years.

“Yes,” he replied.

“Were you planning to tell the pack? Or were you going to wait for her to be a wolf first?” It was interrogation time because I wanted to know what was going through his head. It wasn’t like I didn’t have a glimpse with the Alpha bond, but I didn’t see the need to be invasive.

“I don’t know.” His honestly calmed me down a little bit. “It was in the back of my mind.”

“What if she has another mate?” I asked.

“And who would that be?” There was that spark of attitude, and oh did that make my wolf want to rip off his head real fast. I could feel his energy blaze to the forefront, and my eyes were surely golden with fury.

“One, Harper definitely has another mate. Two, tomorrow you’ll tell the others.”

“How would you know that and why do I have to tell the others? It won’t change anything.”

“It won’t change anything?” Now he’d really done it. I was before him before he could blink. I had to hold back to not punch him because he was like some annoying little brat who hadn’t yet grown the fuck up. These individuals weren’t strangers. They were his pack and would sacrifice themselves for him if they had to.

Yet, he couldn’t be truthful and tell them he marked the woman they’ve been protecting even though each of them has a little crush on her but didn’t make a move out of respect for me?

“The pack deserves to know so that we can protect her accordingly,” I growled. “You think it’s okay for a mated human to be walking around?”

“What difference does it make? No one noticed before.”

“We’ve noticed the shift in Harper’s scent for years now,” I revealed one aspect I’d acknowledged but tried to not think about. “We’ve known Harper is no longer unclaimed. With the scent change, I’m sure you’ve been oblivious to the rise of predator wolves in the forest. Or better yet, did you know Harper had fainted in the forest and there were hunters in the area?”

He was silent as he nervously gulped, which made me roll my eyes.

“Just because I don’t say shit, Ian, doesn’t mean I’m a damn idiot. That’s another reason why I’m the Alpha in this pack.”

“I’m more powerful than before,” he noted as if it that changed anything.

“No one gives a shit about power if you don’t know how to use it,” I pointed out. “Same goes with flaunting such power around like some type of badge of honor. If you have a problem with the pack dynamic and believe you can do a better job, feel free to bring it up to the pack and we’ll happily re-evaluate the positions. It’s been a while since we’ve had a challenge. It would be nice to prove a point,” I taunted in hopes he’d take it.

I knew he wouldn’t, and the lingering silence was proof of that.

“I’m fucking exhausted and not in the mood to be more upset with you than I’ve displayed, especially with that stuck-up attitude of yours,” I noted. “But I’m sure you’ve been worried about Harper, so I’ll let this go. We have a lot to discuss, but we’ll do it when shit calms down with the town bullshit.”

He nodded slightly and I added, “I’m going to do some research and rest, and I suggest you go home and sleep. Later in the evening, upon my return, you’ll tell the others that you’ve marked Harper and apologize for the secrecy. Understood?”

He slowly nodded, and I turned away. I made it a few steps, knowing well he had one more thing he had to say.

“Who’s her mate, Carter?”

He had some boldness to ask the prime question, and the sudden spike of pride that thrummed through my veins encouraged me to look over my shoulder back at him.

My eyes met his as I smiled.

“Me.”

That was all I needed to say as I turned away and headed forward, knowing each step I took emphasized the truth that Harper was mine. He was about to find out the great lengths I’d take to let the world know she was meant to be by my side.

That’s my girl.

~HARPER~

“Carter! You’re not walking fast enough!”

“Hmm?” Poor guy was half asleep as I literally tugged his now better hand in mine. “Babe, slow down.”

“Carter, it’s the evening!” I stressed as the sun was literally coming down, the sky filled with orange hues mixed with hints of navy blue and purple.

Admitting I slept like a log for the first time in months felt horrid because this was the one day I actually needed to get up promptly and return home so Ian wouldn’t worry.

Carter encouraged me to say I was with Kira just in case anyone I didn’t trust suddenly wanted to pull me into their craving for attention as the news of the incident flooded the town.

We had to walk through the forest to get back to the sanctuary because Carter had checked earlier in the morning and noticed the various road closures as the investigation of the town was underway.

Neither of us was supposed to sleep the afternoon away, and we suddenly woke up to Kira calling my phone, asking if we were alive - only to find out it was seven in the evening.

I never knew I could dress and pull Carter along with me so fast, but we were not only in sanctuary territory but heading for the back door to the house.

“Evening…sure,” Carter finally replied, and I swear he was like a zombie. He was probably really tired, and honestly, I couldn’t blame him. He had so much going on and I bet he barely slept much to begin with, considering everything he did on a regular basis.

We finally made it inside and I had the intention of waltzing right to the kitchen, but Carter came to a stop as his whole body seemed to grow rigid. He tugged me with enough force to pull me back against him, and just as fast, he was in front of me.

“ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?!”

I flinched at Ian’s thunderous scream, and I swear the house shook a little as wind bashed against the windows, making them rattle with anger.

Muffin, who’d been sitting on my shoulder, quickly dove into my shirt and snuggled up in my cleavage as if to hide herself from the chaos.

Carter reached for my hand from behind and slowly tugged me forward as he approached with caution. It took a few silent steps to get a view of the kitchen where Dolly, Sam, and Ian stood.

“Ian! You’re bleeding,” Dolly stressed, which made my heart flutter with worry.

“Who gives a flying fuck if I’m bleeding!” he snapped. “You sold the sanctuary?! OUR HOME!”

His words made my eyes widen at the news, but now that I knew Sam’s true colors, I wasn’t surprised.

“How dare you! What right do you have to sell this property?! Dolly’s been slaving away for YEARS to make things work because you’ve been a deadbeat asshole, and now we’re finding out that you not only tried to sell the town off to some fishy as fuck mafia drug lords, but you had the audacity to sell the sanctuary out of desperation for all the loans you took out!”

“It’s the best I could do.” Sam didn’t even sound remorseful as he huffed, “I already informed the real estate lady. She’s already got a buyer, and everything’s been signed. The owner will be here by the evening to claim the property. Whatever they do with it is their choice,” he concluded.

“Are you shitting me?! Don’t you feel an ounce of remorse?! This sanctuary feeds my pack! Does Carter even know about this?! You’re willing to throw our livelihood under the bus for your own selfish game?! So those stuck-up Elders and power-hungry Alphas don’t fuck you up and rip your head off?!”

“Listen, boy!” Sam snarled. “My life is on the fucking line. Who gives a shit about this sanctuary? It only survives because of the fucking government. What purpose does it have? The only reason you’re here is because Carter fought for you to not be sent off the fucking grid and be slain for how weak and incompetent you are!”

“What?!” Ian gasped. “Stop making fucking bullshit up.”

“I don’t need to bullshit.” Sam laughed. “You have such a rotten attitude for an orphan that his own family didn’t want!”

“My family is dead!”

“Your family is alive and well, just like Harper’s family!” he revealed, which shocked me.

What?

“Sam! Stop this!” Dolly ordered, but Sam glared over at her.

“Shut up, Dolly! This is all your fucking fault!” he barked in anger. “You wanted kids so fucking bad that when this orphaned waste of space came along, you begged me to take him in! I couldn’t refuse when you decided Harper deserved to be raised by a proper family. You didn’t give a shit about the risk of it all! Rogan is looking high and low for Harriet’s daughter and this whole time she was RIGHT HERE! How long are we gonna pretend and act like her parents for OUR sake?”

“Harriet?” Ian whispered the name like it was forbidden. “You’re not referring to Harriet, the North pack’s Alpha, are you?”

“It doesn’t matter now,” Sam concluded, but Ian shook his head as if he didn’t want to believe the truth.

“I’ve spent YEARS searching, and you knew this entire time?!”

Sam laughed like this was the best entertainment he’d had in years.

“Harper’s parents weren’t her real parents! That was her aunt and uncle. The boy was their only son.”

The bomb was far bigger than I expected, and Carter squeezed my hand to try to remind me that he was right here.

“I knew it.” Ian sounded out of breath.

“You shouldn’t be digging into people’s pasts, boy!”

“First of all,” Ian growled, “I’m not a boy. I’m a MAN. I’ve worked my ass off to get the position I got at the police station and the few loyal cops that don’t throw shit under the rug,” he snapped.

“You think because you’re a puppet at that station that you’re not being used by them?!” Sam questioned and literally lost it in manic laughter. “Why don’t I give you a heads up. Your name is about to be dragged down by the very people you stayed loyal to! Do you think those people are happy that you’re going so high up in the ranks when you’re but a naive child? Now that this investment thing is in the air and people are going to be losing their jobs, I guarantee by tomorrow, you’re going to be let go by the Chief after numerous complaints of you fabricating evidence is going to show up,” he announced.

What?

I knew Ian. He’d never fabricate anything. He was all about finding out the truth, and no way would he ever stoop as low as the people he despised and do the same.

Never.

“You’re fucking lying! I didn’t do shit.”

“You think anyone cares?” Sam tossed back. “We, the insiders, know that you didn’t do shit, but we have everything mapped out to make you look like a damn criminal. With all your partnered work with O’Neil, it was fucking perfect! Heard that nigga died in the fucking explosion. Good fucking riddance!”

Ian growled and was shaking furiously as he clenched his fists together, which only amused Sam further as he continued, “The moment the town finds out you were working with O’Neil to sabotage the town’s livelihood, they’ll set this entire place on fire!” he declared. “I bet the rumors are already spreading that you were working with the nigga, trying to ruin our lives and using this investment as a decoy. They all made sure to say a separate investigation was being done on you after each crime scene had hints of you around the area an hour before each murder. It won’t be hard to label you as an undercover hunter. With O’Neil dead, there’s no one else to protect you. Think the Chief is gonna turn on his own white peeps? I don’t think so, buddy.”

“Yet you fucking turned on them!”

“Ya, but at the end of the day, I’m just a man who drinks and makes bad decisions. The town will forgive me. But you’re a kid, buddy. A boy who doesn’t belong anywhere in this community. Do you think your wolves are going to back you up when they’ve been desperate to get rid of you? How many times have those Elders threatened Carter that if he didn’t remove you, he’d never be able to tell his fated mate, Harper, the truth that they’re destined to be together?”

My heart hammered against my chest while the tense air spiked up further.

“You knew.”

“Of course we knew! We didn’t go on those vacations simply because of you and Harper potentially being in Heat. We knew if she remained and Carter was in his wolf form, not only would it potentially trigger her shift, but their bond would have activated.”

“Sam! That’s enough!” Dolly snapped. “You’re going against the magic oath.”

“Fuck the magic oath!” Sam tossed right back. “What have those dead-ass Compass Witches done for us, huh? They only come to aid the royal children who carry magic! They only helped to seal Harper’s abilities because they knew she would be one of the most powerful shifters blessed by the Moon Goddess. Add that with being mated to Prince Moonshine and what’ve we got? A powerful motherfucking alliance that no one wants to acknowledge will happen whether we like it or not!”

He flinched as he clenched his head, in pain, but he laughed even harder and shook his head.

“You work so hard to be seen and try to act like a leader when you’re nothing but a failure. Everyone is predicting it: you’re going to be just as useless as your father!”

“That…” Ian couldn’t respond properly and I didn’t blame him because chances were, he didn’t know his father.

At least he didn’t remember.

“That’s enough,” Carter announced, and all eyes turned to him as he held my hand tightly and tugged us into the kitchen for the three of them to acknowledge.

Dolly’s eyes widened as Ian looked at me in shock. The side of his mouth was bleeding, clearly from a punch, but seeing me together with Carter made something flash in his eyes.

Fear? Worry? Sadness?

I couldn’t put my finger on it, but my attention was on Sam as he rolled his eyes like our grand reveal was nothing to him.

“Look what the cat dragged in.”

“MEOW!” Muffin popped out of my shirt and hissed - pushing off my chest and somehow managing to hover right over to crash into Sam’s face.

“AH!”

Muffin went on a scratching spree until Sam’s face was full of scratches that bled instantly. Muffin retreated by landing on Ian’s head and pushing off again to land on Carter’s.

“You damn cat!” Sam hissed.

Carter paid no mind as he tilted his head up slightly to acknowledge Muffin. “Was that necessary?”

“Meow!” Muffin hissed and sat on his head like it was a monumental stage. Suddenly the door opened from the side, and my eyes grew wide as O’Neil and three other officers waltzed into the room.

“Wha-” Sam began but he was punched in the face by Ian, which really made me gawk because I didn’t think anyone was expecting that.

“I’ve wanted to do that for so fucking long,” Ian admitted as O’Neil went behind Sam and slammed him into the stove. He was in handcuffs in seconds, before O’Neil whistled.

“Man. The last twenty-four hours have been fun hiding in this house, waiting for your ass to admit to all your damn deeds, Sam,” he announced and smiled as he looked over to me.

“O’Neil,” I whispered, fighting back tears.

“Sorry, Harper. I know I scared you a bit, but I had to pretend to ‘die’ so the true colors of the town would come out for the world to see. It not only worked, but we recorded everything, which includes Sam and Rogan killing a student named Cat and attempting to throw the blame on Rogan’s son, Rick.”

O’Neil turned to sam. “Pretty smart move with writing his usual nickname for Harper along her forehead. We almost fell for it, but you suck at keeping your mouth shut when you’re drunk, boy.” He emphasized the final word mockingly as he forced him to stand and look our way.

“Do whatever the fuck you like! It doesn’t matter! The place is sold! Y’all are still a bunch of losers!”

“That’s where you’re sadly mistaken,” I concluded, which caught everyone’s attention as it landed on me. “The sanctuary ain’t going anywhere.”

“Are you deaf? I just said I sold it.”

“I heard you,” I emphasized and smiled. “Do you recall an Amelia Rosette?”

He arched an eyebrow at me as I sighed dramatically and let go of Carter’s hand to cross my arms over my chest and take the stage. I purposely walked all the way up to Sam and made sure my serious eyes met his.

“You sold the home to an Amelia Rosette.”

“Yes! Doesn’t fucking matter anyway! She’s the new owner of this place and she’ll be here any minute to kick y’all out and begin preparations for the condo complexes that will be built and make millions in revenue.”

“Aww, that’s nice and all,” I began as I bobbed my head. “Too bad that was never my intention.”

“What?”

“Amelia Rosette is actually my code name.”

No one said a word as I finally got to say what I’d been keeping a secret for weeks.

“I knew something fishy was going on when I hadn’t gotten my inheritance on my birthday in September. Something about delayed paperwork, etcetera. So I got a lawyer to investigate the situation and we concluded that I’d use a code, which just so happens to be the name of a very powerful celebrity who’s visiting Canada,” I revealed. “Since I had that as my advantage and so many in the offices over here care about image, especially in the realms of celebrities, they expressed the paperwork and I got my inheritance weeks ago, but I put it in a brand-new account that isn’t monitored by any of you.”

They were shocked as I shrugged. “I knew when that suspicious group came to take measurements that you had every intention of selling the place when Dolly was gone, so I did my own digging with my lawyer’s help and we waited for the opportunity to come along, which was a few hours ago,” I revealed. “Thankfully my phone was nearby, and I quickly picked up the call and confirmed I wanted to buy the property and viola.”

I lifted my arms up and smiled. “Sacred Moon Sanctuary for Endangered Wolves now belongs to Harper Blake.”

“Impossible,” Sam whispered. “I signed the documents.”

“Yes, you signed the documents, but you didn’t check to see whose name was on the final contract. It was all right there in bold, and you didn’t notice because you were in a panic to get rid of it.”

He was speechless as I leaned forward and whispered, “Sorry, Sam. You fooled yourself.”

“H-How dare you!”

“Well, thank goodness.” Dolly sighed in relief. “I was going to put the place in your name anyways.”

We looked at Dolly and I noticed her frail appearance seemed to have changed a bit. She stood with strength as she now crossed her arms over her chest. I swore she looked younger.

“You’re a good actor, Dolly,” O’Neil praised as he shook his head. “Don’t know how you survived doing this for all these years, but then again, this is why you were the top dog in CSIS.”

Sam’s face went pale as Dolly’s smile widened.

“Well, O’Neil, this scandalous case has been going on for twenty-five years. I wasn’t going to let it end up with Sam being free and putting our Harper in harm’s way. I knew she was a smart cookie and could handle herself, but it’s always nice to have a little help behind the scenes,” Dolly explained. “Besides, she’s still technically my child. Even if it was temporary.”

“Temporary?” Sam was surprisingly the one to ask.

“The papers I signed were to ensure I specifically would look after Harper until she reached the age of eighteen. After that, she’d be on her own. She could still live with me, which is what happened, but my care would be revoked the moment she wished to discover her family heritage, which I’m sure she will after this,” she revealed and looked my way. “I’m proud of you, Harper. I’ll gladly help you learn the truth if needed.”

“LIES! LIES!” Sam was losing his fucking mind.

“Why don’t we take this to the police car, shall we?” O’Neil offered, seconds before a howl pierced the air, followed by a loud explosion.

We all felt the tremor of a shake beneath our feet, and Carter cursed.

“Fuck! An attack!”

He was gone before any of us could react, and Ian didn’t hesitate to follow suit, leaving us behind as they rushed out back. I looked back to O’Neil and Dolly, and they nodded in approval.

“Go and face your destiny, Harper,” Dolly urged. “Just be careful.”

“We’ll handle Sam and the rest here. Go,” O’Neil urged.

With a nod, I ran out the back, already seeing the stream of thick smoke entering the sky. It was further out in the outskirts of the forest, looking to be in the area Dolly always said was off-limits.

“Meooooowww!”

The shrill sound of Muffin’s cry made my entire body tingle with fear as I ran faster. Reika moved forward until her head was zoomed in in my vision of my subconscious, but her closeness delivered an intense boost of energy, enough that the world was blurring around me as I ran as fast as my legs would take me.

I had to skid to a stop when I noticed a flickering pink wall that sizzled like electricity, but my eyes caught onto Ian, who was on the ground.

“Fuck! Ian?!” I dropped to the floor as Muffin jumped from side to side in worry. “Muffin! Go get the others! Bring them here to help Ian!”

“Meow!” She dashed off and I knew she’d be able to get the rest of the pack to come to aid. I tried to shake him awake as I shouted, “Ian?! Baby, wake up!”

He groaned as his head fell back. It was like he’d been shocked and was now completely out.

What could have knocked him out like this?

“The wall is intense magic,” Reika declared. “I can sense it. He’s not strong enough to enter so it knocked him out.”

Magic. Shit. Can we go through it?

She didn’t respond immediately, but finally she whispered, “Yes.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat before I tugged on the jacket Carter had brought for me when we’d woken up. After laying it on Ian, I quickly gathered bushes to hid him well enough that no hunters would potentially see him before I looked at the wall with immense determination.

“Let me in,” I growled and took a few steps back, feeling foreign energy begin to charge through me as I clenched my fist. With a charge forward, I ran into the wall that was desperate to keep me out.

It was a challenge that made me scream in pain, but I was thrown through and crashed into the ground on the other side.

Seconds before I heard gunshots.

I sprinted forward, unsure which way would be the best to try to make it to Carter, but suddenly a shadow lunged past me with every intention of turning and targeting me head on.

“RUN, HARPER! LEFT!” Reika demanded.

She didn’t need to tell me twice. I skidded to turn directions to the left and sprinted harder than ever.

Shit, shit, shit!! Where are we running to?

“Anywhere! There are two things following us!”

I was out of breath as my arms moved just as hard as my legs to get me as far away from here as I could. It was the sudden sight of a cliff that made me curse and skid to a stop, but I wasn’t expecting the shot of pain that went through my leg, causing me to trip forward.

“AH!”

Something grabbed a hold of my body as they skidded in a circle before pushing off the ground and sending us flying in the air. More shots banged through the atmosphere, but we seemed to dodge them before I was being carried in the mouth of a familiar wolf.

“CARTER!” I screamed as he continued to run at full speed. I wanted to help, but I was stuck as more shots fought to pierce us. I noticed a wall ahead, one that glimmered gold and green, but we weren’t close to making it as a gunshot went off and Carter yelped in pain.

He was sent flying and we crashed and skidded through the dirt.

“CARTER!” I screamed and quickly rushed out of his mouth’s hold and immediately tried to find where he’d been shot. He whimpered in pain as my eyes caught onto the bullet wound. Immediately, I climbed onto him, digging into the wound, which made him yelp and fight to throw me off him, but if that bullet stayed in, it could cause lead to spread through his system and it would be more fatal than the wound itself.

Nothing else mattered as I retrieved the bullet, tossed it aside, and placed my hands over his wound. “C’mon,” I breathed. “Magic is real, right? If I have magic, heal. Please, please, please,” I practically begged as tears blurred my vision and began to fall upon the backs of hands.

I couldn’t lose Carter. He was the Alpha of the pack, and he was my fated mate. I’d just found out about everything. He couldn’t be taken away now.

Carter was already growing still, as if he were losing energy, and that made me curse and press harder to stop the blood from trying to leak out.

Please. Please, Mother Moon. Don’t let me lose Carter. He deserves better. Please!

There was that foreign energy again, brewing from the core of my chest as I felt the intense heat of the pendant. I looked down to see it begin to glow, just like the ring that glimmered with a golden energy that grew bigger and bigger until the ring began to crack and, a second later, burst into golden pink shards.

I gasped and watched the shards dance around me, balls of pink and gold swimming around until they were like threads of string. They spun around in a wide circle before moving swiftly upward and diving back down to slam into Carter’s wound. I watched as the skin mended itself, and within seconds, the place was healed.

“No way,” I whispered and watched the remaining shards come together until a band of pink formed a ring on my ring finger - the band now a bright pink with golden petals. It was the complete reverse of the previous ring.

The energy around me faded, but the sound of a safety turning off drew my attention to further behind me where my eyes met an out-of-breath Rogan.

He looked like he’d gone through the ringer, his body filled with scratches, burns, and wounds. But one look into his eyes and I knew he was out for blood.

“I knew I never should have let you live, child,” he whispered and pointed the gun at Carter as he tried to shake his furry head out of his daze.

“NO!” I screamed and leapt off Carter, then darted forward.

When the trigger was pulled, the bullets didn’t stop me, even when I heard the screams of the others. The pain was nothing like the unleashed waves of anger that rattled through my damn soul.

I was tired of being in the dark.

Tired of being afraid of losing my pack.

Tired of knowing what I was and being unable to achieve this being of power.

I was done being fucking tired.

And today everyone would see!

With a scream that sounded like a mangled howl, Reika ran forward in my subconscious, and instead of stopping at the wall, she crushed her body into it, just like the magic wall we’d overcome.

The resistance was the most painful thing I’d experienced, but it not only cracked - it shattered and let Reika free.

The pain that followed was ten times worse than the bullets that continued to riddle my flesh, but my body went from running on two legs to all four as I took every advantage of the remaining steps to push off the ground, my massive mouth opened wide.

I took in everything in slow motion as Rogan’s eyes went wide while he attempted to point the gun at my head. He pulled the trigger, but we both heard the sound.

The sound that confirmed he was out of bullets.

How glorifying it was to see the final moments of an enemy’s life as their eyes widened further with the acknowledgment that death was knocking on their door.

He couldn’t even scream as my large mouth clamped down on his head, and like a limp toy, his body was flung with a snap before I spit his head out.

I watched as it bounced and rolled until it stopped right at the line of men further away - the five remaining men in my pack skidding to a stop as Rogan’s head hit Ian’s feet.

The moment of silence suddenly triggered the need to turn back - my body shuddering as bones crackled back into place and, suddenly, I was standing in my spot. I should have been completely out of breath and relieved at the victory upon us, but instead, I felt absolutely nothing.

It was like my body was suddenly shutting down, and what made me realize that was how I hadn’t breathed yet. Slowly, I looked down to my body that was full of bullets, watching the blood ooze out of me like water.

That was what triggered my fall - my body suddenly losing every string of strength as I looked up to see Ian’s horrified eyes.

“HARPER!”

My knees buckled, but I couldn’t really tell. All I knew was that I was falling to the ground and suddenly I was on my side. My body was completely numb as the pain began and every other sensation faded away.

It was as if the world didn’t want me to suffer any longer, and deep down, I was grateful for it as a sense of peace began to fill the void.

People were talking, and I tried to make things out.

“Hang in there, Harper!” Carter’s voice was the first I picked up on, and the waves of relief I internally felt made this all easier.

For once, I’d been helpful to them. I was able to protect Carter, which meant even if I died, the pack would still have the leader they needed.

We…did it…Reika.

“We did…so…happy…”

She was just as tired as I was, and I caught a brief glimpse of her lying on her side as the world of darkness that I always knew was my subconscious was being submerged in a pretty prism light. It helped me feel a sense of calm, even when Reika was engulfed by its warmth.

“Harper!” Ian’s frantic calls suddenly seemed far away. I wanted to tell him I’d be just fine, but I knew it would be instilling false hope, and that never was a good thing.

“She won’t make it…” Damien whispered.

“She has to make it!” Ian snapped.

“We can’t bring her back. She’ll bleed to death.”

“Levi, there has to be something,” Carter sobbed. “We can’t let her die. I’m not ready to lose her.”

There was a long silence before Ian whispered, “Everyone, cut your wrists.”

“What?” Hayden and Heston said together.

“Just trust me! Where’s the dagger? Harper carries her dagger with her when she’s worried she’ll be in a threatening situation,” Ian revealed.

There was another long silence and shuffling noises, almost like something was being patted down.

“Here,” Damien announced. “Don’t tell me you’re thinking-”

“She’s part of the pack. OUR pack! She can’t die. There’s no other way to save her. If we do it this way, we have a chance that she’ll survive us reaching North Sanctuary. It’s just beyond that wall! Kira will sense us and help us, but if Harper dies when we move her, it’s over. If you don’t want to bond with her, stay out of it, but the more blood we can give, the higher the chances of her survival. She helped and loved all of us. She was willing to share her love with us regardless of whether we were human or wolf. Even when she didn’t know the truth, she loved us wholeheartedly. Her love and compassion were absolute…and she deserves justice. This is the least we can do. Please,” Ian begged.

“Stop talking, cut your wrist, and pass it here,” Carter snapped.

“That means a yes from the rest of us,” Damien commented.

There were a few hisses and gasps, but in seconds, I felt something being poured onto my chest. Or into my chest.

“Carter, you need to initiate it.”

“The mate does.”

“You’re the stronger mate and magic user.”

“Fine,” Carter grumbled but took a deep breath.

“Oh sacred full moon, hear our nightly plea. Our own has fallen and is knocking on death’s door. We gather as one, with the combined blood of our kind. Six individuals with the aim to heal our beloved from the wounds she endured. Please accept our blood offering to mend her wounds and secure her life until we can find one better to preserve it. Use the magic inside me to seal this new bond created by all of us, and as her mate, let it be set in stone.”

My body grew hot, especially where the liquid continued to pour into me, but I had no energy to scream or cry at the sudden surge of pain that sparked through me.

That was when I heard a voice, almost like a hymn from the scriptures of the church, respond.

“Magic at the price of love. I come to your call and ask you this: is it worth this sacrifice to save this Wolf Tamer who ignores my calls when she most likely won’t survive?”

I couldn’t tell who this new female voice was, but even though her words were bitter, they held a sense of sympathy. The power thrumming around her felt serene in nature, and though my eyes were closed, it felt like a shining bright light poured upon me.

“She ignored your calls because of our interference. She WILL survive this, and she’s no longer a Wolf Tamer,” Carter declared as my mind began to be dragged away.

I wished to be lost in the calming light, but darkness fought to steal me away and I was beginning to lose this unknown battle - falling deeper into the hole of darkness. I gave up trying to fight the sleep any longer.

“She will be a Wolf Seeker, and together as a pack, we’ll seek those who dare try to take her away from you, the Moon, these lands of her heritage…and…” I was able to catch the last set of words before I lost consciousness, which I assumed would last forever.

“Her future throne.”

TO BE CONTINUED.

To find out what happens next, don’t forget to pre-order WOLF SEEKER here:

https://smarturl.it/WOLFSEEKER

(to release 12th November 2021).

STAY CONNECTED:

Did You Enjoy WOLF TAMER?

Please feel free to leave a review on AMAZON and preorder the next book (WOLF SEEKER) if this book was worth the read!

It helps me, Avery, know that you enjoyed this book and pushes me to work on this series as a priority. The best way to stay up to date with anything regarding the Claiming My Pack Series, is through my social media platforms!

Feel free to join my Facebook group here:

Avery Song & Avery Stone Reader Group

Next best place is my newsletter with special giveways/exclusives/sneak peeks of new projects.

https://www.subscribepage.com/averysongbirds

Now turn the page for a Sneak Peek of WOLF CROWNED - Ruby’s Royal Demon Pack!

WOLF CROWNED

~Ruby’s Royal Demon Pack~

https://smarturl.it/WolfCrowned

BLURB:

What shall one do when their entire life is nothing but a lie?

Ruby Phoenix. Luxury Fashion Designer and Celebrity Stylist. To the world, I’m the woman who blends in until the grand reveal at the end of a sold-out fashion show. The one who observes and keeps secrets instead of leads.

I’d never been destined to be a leader, but as the Princess of the Royal Phoenix Pack, many believe I’ll one day sit upon the throne.

A throne that’s not mine to claim.

I’m a mere decoy from the hidden truth, but once all the cards have been revealed and the true heir awakens, what would that leave me with? Surely nothing, right?

Little do those in power know of the dark addiction I have hidden in the shadows. The antihero men who wear suits and black leather gloves during the day, only to be cloaked in designer at night and do the tasks no one else wishes to take within this world of deceit and bloodshed.

Some say we’re a Secret Society. Others compare us to the Mafia. Motorcycle Club? Illegal Drug Ring? Billionaire Gang? Better yet, a pack of royal wolves with nothing else to do. The list is rather extensive, but the truth of it all is it potentially may be all of the above. The best part?

I may be their Demon Ring Leader and I’m ready to come out of the shadows to be crowned.

PROLOGUE: KIDNAPPED THE RING LEADER

“Now what made you think kidnapping me was a good idea?”

Five pairs of eyes landed on me, as I continued to chew the thankfully fresh lemonade bubblegum I’d plopped into my mouth - seconds before these masked men decided I was a lovely target to scoop and toss into their large, metal money truck.

The leader was failing at this whole “tough guy” persona, but I was going to imagine he was a scary, bulky, tattooed beast instead of the scrawny, slightly trembling, dude that couldn’t even hold his gun properly.

Not to forget the safety was on.

“Stop talking and cooperate!” he demanded.

“Why?” I stared at him and shrugged my shoulders while trying to ignore the slight irritation I was mentally enduring with my wrists tied. “Can’t concentrate because I’m simply trying to entertain myself?”

“Listen,” the guy to my left began. He seemed to be the smartest one in the group, and surely I would have made him the leader simply because his hazelnut eyes were kinda cute.

That’s probably why I don’t do the whole appoint positions and lead shit because whoever was the prettiest in my book would be the leader of whatever game we were playing.

“Give us their information regarding the Phoenix Heir and we’ll let you go!”

I pouted my lips and blinked my teal eyes innocently.

“I’ve told you guys already,” I whined. “It’s me!”

Five long seconds of absolute silence, and they laughed like I’d told them I was the Virgin Mary. “It’s me!” I repeated. “How many times do I have to say it?”

“Sorry, but you ain’t the heir,” the guy further back shook his head.

“And why not?” I demanded. “What makes me not look like the heir?”

The guy to the far left sat down on a bench as he placed his AR on his lap.

“First off, you talk too much.”

“You’re not serious,” I whined. “I’m supposedly shy to everyone else unless I’m nervous, or in a bad mood, or getting kidnapped by random people asking if I’m the heir of the Phoenix Royal Pack and won’t listen to me when I say I am!”

Another round of laughter echoed against the metal walls, and my shoulders sank as the guy with blue eyes sighed.

“Second of all, your hair is boring.”

“Boring?” I gasped in horror and tried to get a glimpse of my long black locks. “Listen. I’m a fashion designer. It’s not like I can flaunt a rainbow in my head and be taken seriously!”

“That’s the thing though,” a guy with red hair began as he walked over to sit next to blue eyes. “If you were truly an heir, you wouldn’t give a flying shit about rules having to follow the bland hair color guidelines of your employer.”

“Not to forget you got no tattoos or piercings,”

“I got nipple piercings?!” I sat up like I’d finally won at something, and the other three who gathered closer to their sitting comrades laughed.

“Not with that perky attitude, honey,” the leader noted. “C’mon, there’s a handbook on how to be a badass bitch somewhere, isn’t there.”

“I…read the old edition?” I reasoned as I looked at them. “That counts, right?”

“No,” one barked out. “The old one is like ten years old.”

“Well, it’s not like I try to be a badass or anything! Again, I’m a fashion designer. Sometimes a celebrity stylist when I have some free time. Listen, if you guys aren’t going to believe me, can I at least smoke a joint before you kill me.”

“You’re not serious?” the only bulky guy in their unit tossed.

“I’m dead serious,” I reasoned. “You guys should be giving some damn pity. I’ve been working for fifteen hours on two hours of sleep and five cups of coffee with an additional shot of espresso,” I explained.

The poor group actually pitied me before the leader rolled his eyes and huffed.

“Yo! How much longer to the warehouse?”

“Three minutes,” the driver called out.

The leader looked back at me and signaled the bulky guy to actually get me a cigar.

“Damn! Y’all actually going to let me smoke one?!” I practically squealed.

“She reminds me of Harley Quinn,” red hair noted.

“Ugh. Why does everyone compare me to her?” I complained. “Do you see me with multicolor hair with a dose of bipolar tendencies and complete obsession with a psychotic evil mastermind that just uses me whenever he sees fit?”

“Do you even have a boyfriend?”

“No, but I’m taking applications?”

The five of them just stared at me before the leader sighed.

“We so took the wrong person.”

“Well, what we gonna do? We already have her.”

“We can throw her out of the car?”

“Hmmm.”

“Don’t do that,” I pleaded, grabbing their attention. “Guys. I’m a stylist. We deal with the craziest shit in NYC. I know celebs who work in the mafia, motorcycle clubs, gangs, and I’ve even been down at the underground pathway six feet under the White House. Beautifully decorated, by the way. This term’s First Lady is just sensational. She knows exactly what she wants in life, but I mean, if you’re fifty-four and don’t know what you want in life, there’s a serious problem.”

For some reason, the four of them looked over to the bulky guy and he grunted.

“Fuck off! I’m trying here.”

“You’re fifty-four?” I inquired.

“He’s sixty,” the leader noted. “Still living with his mama.”

“Fuck you!” he cursed. “Why are you laying my dirty laundry out like that?! Haven’t I been loyal to your ass?”

“Loyal ya, but that’s a damn embarrassment, man.”

“I told you, bro, come live with me!”

“You live in your parents’ basement!” he argued.

“But it’s a pretty fancy basement. Separate entrance, a small little bar, and an entertainment system, and I got a full bathroom with a bonus room for the gym. Air-conditioned nice and cozy during the summer.”

“That sounds pretty good,” I praised.

He bobbed his head as if he were so proud. “If I wanted to put that shit on the market, I’d be a millionaire.”

“Well, real estate is a good investment,” I tossed. “You’d be good for an agent. Your eyes are nice. The whole blue aesthetic. Buyers DIE for that. Add in a suit, either black or white, but white stands for victory. That’s when you know the blessings are coming your way.”

“I was actually thinking of doing real estate,” he admitted. “Better than this shit.”

“Got that right,” bulky declared as he lit the blunt and neared my mouth. “Hurry up, stylist.”

“Thank you!” I inhaled and took my sweet time enjoying the intense aroma of the blunt, watching the flickering cinders at the other side. The mere sight made my body grow hot with impatience, but I felt the cooling nudge of my wolf in the depths of my consciousness.

“Patience, firebird. We have to keep playing the game.”

Yes, yes, the game. Tick tock, tick tock.

Blowing out the smoke, I said in relief. “Fuck. That hits the spot. I haven’t had one of these in a hot minute.”

“Why were you at that douche bag’s building?” the leader decided to ask as he moved to sit on the other bench with his comrade, leaving only bulky standing.

“Why? Need the goods?”

“If you got them, it’ll probably spare your life,” he noted.

“Reasonable,” I admitted. “Can you untie my hands? Or at least put them in front so I can smoke this?”

They all exchanged looks and I pouted. “C’mon guys. I ain’t going anywhere in this metal box.”

The leader signaled blue eyes to do the deed, unhandcuffing me just so I could stretch my arms and rub at my wrists.

Placing them in front, I placed them together like I was saying a prayer. “Okay. You can put them back.”

“Seriously?”

“I meant it. Just want to smoke that and talk. Did you really think I’d have something up my sleeve?” I innocently questioned.

“Probably,” the guy muttered and did what I’d requested as he snapped the cuffs back on my wrists but didn’t make them as tight as before.

Bulky offered me the cigar and I easily took it and gave myself a solid minute to enjoy its effects. I always wondered why people in the fashion industry were so addicted to smoking, but after doing it for five solid years, I understood why.

The calming effects it carried alone were hard to replace, especially when it was a pinch of tranquility versus the stressful environment of deadlines, errors, judgment, and people screaming your ear off when someone isn’t 100% perfect.

“The douche bag needs a special designer suit made, but he only has 48 hours,” I got to the point. “He wanted to hire me for the job, but sadly, I declined.”

“Why did you decline?” The leader was intrigued.

“He’s too messy,” I stated like he was some sort of disease. “Why would I bust my ass off to make you a plum purple suit with golden accents when you can’t even pick up after yourself and you have empty delivery wrappers all over your entrance floor?”

“He’s rich, though,” bulky noted.

“Exactly!” I stressed like it was a true crime. “He’s fucking loaded! Cars, planes, jets, like fuck. He’s the CEO of one of the richest airplane corporations, and he can’t pick up his McDonald’s wrappers from his extremely expensive Italian textiles? It’s a no for me.”

“Do you know he’s head deep in trouble?”

“I wouldn’t be surprised,” I offered like it wasn’t a big deal to me. “Seriously, half these douches with plenty of money and disdain for the working class are doing a bunch of illegal shit. That ain’t new. Next.”

“He’s the reason why we’re all fucking unemployed,” bulky muttered.

“He suddenly closed down his factory for no reason. Just sent the notice when we all clocked in for us to clock right out.” blue eyes seethed with anger.

“That’s why I hate rich people,” the leader tossed. “Don’t give a fuck about the poor.”

“It’s tricky for sure,” I agreed as I further leaned into my chair and lifted one leg up to rest on the other.

“No different from my job.”

“What do you mean?” one of them asked. “You’re a celebrity stylist. You have money.”

“Who said that?” It was finally my turn to laugh. “Oh, you mean the chump change we get after they request six yards of pearl beads that cost ten thousand per yard? Then add the rhinestones they want me to apply in the in-between portions of the pearls so they can have a glamorous rich aesthetic yet still project a classy flawlessness? OR better yet, the silky lining they will want and not just any type of silk cause they aren’t about the china silk life. No. They want their silk imported from Italy, making sure it’s one of a kind and of a creamy complexion that’s not too nude, but just an inch short from cream. Finalizing the Christian Louboutin heels because celebs don’t want to wear anything else right now, because we go by trends, followed by the real diamond accessories, and oh. Don’t get me started on the hair. If they have short hair, you’re in luck, but those long extensions shit. Oh, your whole day is taken away from you to make sure it’s silky smooth like a Pantene commercial so that they look extra expensive and are now the model of us poor people’s dreams,” I summed up.

“So…” the leader seemed to struggle to keep up. “How much do you make for that.”

“After all the expenses…just roughly five hundred.”

“What?” they all gawked in shock as they stared at me with horrified expressions.

“That doesn’t even cover two hours of my labor costs, and I’ve been working for fifteen hours,” I reasoned and looked too bulky. “What time is it?”

“Close to midnight.”

“See,” I began and shook my head. “I have two hours to sleep before my two in the morning appointment to get started for this press conference in the morning for Oprah Jr. You know Oprah’s secret daughter just started a show and all, so I’ve been invited to style her while her hair gets done. She’s getting extensions and those take extra time even though I suggested she use a wig install because it’s far faster, and she can just whip it off and do something else for her next appointment two hours after her show, but you know. No one listens to me.”

“Damn…” blue eyes whispered. “You’re life’s kinda harsh.

“It’s a tough cruel world out there,” I sighed as the truck came to a slow stop.

“Security checkpoint,” the driver announced.

The others gave each other looks before I smiled. “If you guys really need the money, it’s in my back pocket. It can be for the nice cigar and just listening.”

“Seriously?” bulky looked over at me.

“Ya. There are five of you, so a hundred each. It ain’t a big deal. I already paid my rent for my studio apartment, so I don’t need the money. I probably won’t eat anyways until this appointment is over with and if y’all kill me, well…the money is just gonna be pocketed by the autopsy chick, so use it.”

“Fuck,” the leader cursed. “How about this? We take your money. Get out and don’t go to the police or we’ll find you and kill you.”

“Really?!” I beamed. “But…” I trailed off as my shoulders sank. “We won’t see each other again.”

Bulky laughed. “You don’t wanna see us again.”

“I do. You guys were really nice. I may not be worthy of who you’re looking for, but what if I can get intel for you?”

“Nah,” the leader shook his head. “We’re just doing this to get revenge. Bro, unlock her.”

Blue eyes were back and he unlocked the cuffs.

“But…isn’t there anything I can do?” I offered to look around at them as I worked on finishing the cigar. “What if I could grant your heart’s desire?”

They laughed.

“Mine would be killing this douche.”

“Same.”

“Same, right here.”

“Same, and put his whole damn building on fire.”

“Kill him with my bare hands,” the leader declared as he stared into my eyes.

I bobbed my head and smiled.

“I could make that happen,” I reasoned. “Now my question is, should I?”

They laughed once more, taking my words as a joke as usual. The leader sighed and walked up to me until he stood before me as I rose up from my seat. He took the cigar from my grasp and inhaled deeply.

Blowing it out to the side, he smiled.

“Do it,” he whispered. “I dare…”

He didn’t finish, as he slowly looked down to see what not only embolized him but was crawling up his legs.

The others did the same, and when they tried to speak, panicked muffles and gurgles ringed around me. Reaching for the cigar before the inky substance of shadows claimed his hands, I watched his panic eyes grow wider as the first cinders of fire erupted from the tips of my hair.

Spreading faster than what was consuming them, my long black locks were now shocking orange with red highlights. The tips were literally on fire, the temperature in the metal truck spiking to the point the handcuffs that dropped to the floor began to melt just like the wooden chair behind me.

I slowly licked my lips as I moved away from the melting objects and took one last inhale and tossed the cigar away.

Tugging on my dirty black shirt, I revealed my black laced bra, revealing the detailed tattoos upon my back that were surely illuminated with a sickly black glow that resonated with the shadows that were almost finished with their deed.

Turning around, I looked at their horrified eyes, the rest of their bodies covered in black like rotten mummies, but they were well alive, and soon, they would be under my control.

Tugging on my bra just slightly, I showed them one of my pierced nipples and winked.

“I told you,” my voice was now thick with seduction while I fought not to lose myself in laughter. “I have two very pierced nipples. The bonus one is down under. If you know what I mean.”

Fixing my girls, I snapped my fingers, and bursting out of the flames was a black biker jacket. Another snap of my fingers and my bra was no longer black, but scorching red, and with a brush of my finger along my lips, they were covered in red lipstick.

Slipping the jacket on, I stretched and shook my hips which made my loose pants into black ripped jeans, and I kicked my ratched shoes off to reveal the perfect set of boots with a solid heel.

Spitting the now tasteless gum out of the hidden pocket of my back teeth, I delivered a sly smile. I slowly walked back to the leader, each step igniting flames that began to spread through the metal box. Stopping before him, I placed my hand on his cheek, and he watched how my bare nails were now long, black, and held a onyx aura to their fingertips.

“You know, I liked you guys. A lot. Since you’re willing to do the deed I was on my way to commit myself, I’ll kindly grant your heart’s desire.”

My purr surely made them shiver beneath my cocoons of darkness, making me laugh as I licked the side of his face and listened to his muffled scream when his hidden flesh began to burn entirely.

“Go kill that man with your bare hands, shadow puppet,” I hummed. “Do that, and I’ll think about whether to add you to my collection, or let Lucifer take you.”

With a giggle, I waltzed away - their muffled screams making me feel so happy after a stressful day.

I didn’t have to open the large metal doors because they opened on their own accord. My walk didn’t slow down in the slightest as my flames burst out of my back until massive wings left me afloat in the air.

Landing not a second later, they were gone like fireworks, and I was approaching the man leaning against his massive motorbike while his disciples were lined up along the side of the road - bowing with every step I took.

“You took too long,” I complained when I reached him. “They didn’t believe my nipples were pierced.”

His cold eyes lifted slightly to look in my direction before they lowered slightly to my girls. I almost missed it, but I saw the flicker of amusement in those dangerously red jewels, a second before they were cold again like his damn attitude.

“I have to make you more talkative,” I noted more to myself. He passed me my neon red helmet with orange flames.

“Can we go get ice cream?” I asked. He ignored me, so I moved around his damn mega bike to his right side. Arching an eyebrow my way, I smiled and added, “When I talk to the right side of your body, you normally approve of my requests.”

A jolt of laughter came from behind me, and I looked over to the second guy on his slim speedy bike. He shook out his neon green locks to give me a playful grin.

“C’mon! Let’s get our Ruby Queen some ice cream before the cops show.”

I looked back at my coldhearted killer, and he rolled his eyes.

“Is that a yes?” I reasoned and gave him a pleading look. He nudged his head back to encourage me to hop on, and I squealed. “Score!”

Before I got on, I lightly placed my hands on his cheeks and leaned right in to kiss him firmly on the lips. My eyes never left his, watching those red jewels bleed to a black with hints of purple.

Breaking the kiss, I gave him a saucy grin. “Let’s have fun later, killer. My nipples’ pride is hurt and they need a moment of TLC.”

He didn’t fight his threatening grin and muttered with that addictive deep voice of his.

“Whatever, RubyLu.”

“You better find a better nickname than that,” I noted. “Though, this one is growing on me.”

I got right on without delay; putting my helmet on as he ramped up the engine. One of his servants walked up to us before bowing specifically in my direction.

“Any additional orders, Queen Phoenix,” he nervously questioned.

I pouted my lips as I flicked the front shield of my helmet up. He froze when a gun was now pressing against his forehead.

“What have I said about addressing me like that?”

Another servant arrived, looking as if he could care less if I killed this boy or not. He bowed and began with, “Good evening, Queen Vincent. Shall we do the usual clean-up?”

“Not necessary,” I noted. “I’m a bit on the peeved side after a long strenuous day of bullshit. Kidnapping wasn’t on my normal agenda of fuckery.”

I bobbed my head in the boy’s direction as he trembled. “New?”

“Sadly,” he calmly replied. “Potential.”

“Hmph.” I pulled back my shadow gun and it evaporated just like my patience.

“Remember we don’t do second chances, but I’m feeling merciful tonight.” Turning my attention back to the other servant, I continued. “Let Whitney inform my next client I’ll be there at three am.”

“Specific excuse, my Queen?”

“Hmm,” I thought about it for a moment before grinning and snapping my fingers.

The massive explosion that happened behind us grabbed all their attention. I decided to take a glimpse, watching the flames skyrocket into the air until a giant, phoenix bird silhouette spread along the midnight sky.

“Explosion on the 900. Police blocking both sides. Need to re-route.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Good,” I replied, and slipped my arms around my love’s waist.

“T-Thank you, Your Majes-AHHHHH!!!” The boy’s words didn’t finish as his body was engulfed in flames. No one said a word, even after the last bit of ash fell to the floor.

Turning my head over to the last boy standing, I admired his cool demeanor and bobbed my head. “Impressive. Who are you?”

“Snow, Your Majesty.”

“Make sure everyone knows the normal protocols of how we run shit,” I stressed.

“I’ll promptly do so, Your Majesty.”

“After that, meet me in the morning. You’ll be promoted to personal security. I’m sure you don’t need any other instructions than that, correct?”

“8 AM, North side of 5th street building for your appointment at 9 AM with a cup of Starbucks coffee black and ensure your book of designs is available with the special quill pen you use. Whitney will accompany me.”

“Oh, I like you,” I squealed. “Baby, can we keep him?”

I was surprised he responded but he muttered, “He’s loyal.”

“Excellent,” I purred and looked back at him. “See you in the morning, Snow, and remember.”

My eyes bled to black as my grin was priceless in all things sinister.

“The wifi password to Demon Pack is ShadowCrowns. Make sure you don’t forget the capital C or else your device explodes.”

Moral of the story? One should never kidnap a ring leader.

Especially when they’re a demon queen like me.

PREORDER NOW:

https://smarturl.it/WolfCrowned

ABOUT AVERY SONG

Avery Song is a reverse harem author who specializes in paranormal, fantasy, and urban romance.

She especially loves writing strong main characters and is excited for all the books that are approaching.

~Books by Avery Song~

WILLOW’S FORBIDDEN PACK

Wolf Awakened

Wolf Endangered

Wolf Outcasted (Oct.8.21)

AURELIA’S PACK OF MISFITS

Wolf Rejected

Wolf Reclaimed (Oct.22.21)

RUBY’S ROYAL DEMON PACK

Wolf Crowned (Oct.31.21)

CLAIMING MY PACK SERIES

Wolf Tamer

Wolf Seeker (Nov.12.21)

THE SUPERNATURAL SPY ACADEMY SERIES:

S.S.S YEAR ONE

S.S.S YEAR TWO

S.S.S YEAR THREE

S.S.S YEAR FOUR

S.S.S YEAR FIVE

S.S.S. YEAR SIX

S.S.S. YEAR SEVEN (TBA)

SPELL TRAVELER CHRONICLES (COMPLETE)

Witchling Academy- Semester One

Witchling Academy- Semester Two

Witchling Academy- Semester Three

Witchling Academy- Semester Four

Witchling Academy- Semester Five

Witchling Academy- Semester Six

Witchling Academy- Semester Seven

Witchling Academy- Semester Eight

JADE STORM TRACKER SERIES

The Tracker Hive Academy- Semester One

The Tracker Hive Academy- Semester Two

The Tracker Hive Academy- Semester Three

The Tracker Hive Academy- Semester Four

The Tracker Hive Academy- Semester Five (TBA)

The Tracker Hive Academy- Semester Six (TBA)

ACADEMY FOR ALL THINGS SCORCHING

Blazing Academy - Semester One

Blazing Academy - Semester Two

Blazing Academy - Semester Three

Blazing Academy - Semester Four (TBA)

COWRITTEN WORKS:

SUPERNATURAL CAPTIVITY SERIES

Supernatural Inmate

Supernatural Outlaw

Supernatural Villain

Supernatural Savior (TBA)

SUPERNATURAL MARKED MONARCHY

Psychic Prison - Book One

DESTINED IMRISONEN TRILOGY

Arrested By Magic

FOR THE FAEIRY ABSOLUTES

Celestial Prison

ROYAL CONFINEMENT FOR MALICIENT SUPERNATURALS

Shattered Princess

FOR THE PURELY DIVINE SERIES

Fae Rose Academy - Year One

Fae Rose Academy - Year Two

Fae Rose Academy - Year Three (TBA)

WILLA SILVER ACADEMY INVESTIGATOR

Daggers and Smoke - Year One

THE SUPERNATURAL VAMPIRE FAE CHRONICLES

Bloody Rosary Academy - Year One

Bloody Rosary Academy - Year Two

Bloody Rosary Academy - Year Three (TBA)

Table of Contents

WOLF TAMER

Copyright

Contents

Wolf Tamer Blurb

HARPER BLAKE

Prologue: Run

1. Lost And Found

2. Finding A Place To Call Home

3. Ian Chestwood And Wolfie

4. Sacred Moon Shelter For Endangered Wolves

5. Watchful Guardian

6. Adopted And Celebration

7. True Forms And Our Little Secret

8. Wolf Tamer And Boyfriends?

9. Protect From Evil And He's Mine

10. Consequences And One Day

11. First Time Alone

12. Heated Passion Between Lovers

13. Officially Mine

14. Alleyway Problems For A Trouble Maker

15. Growing Up As A Wolf Tamer

16. Bad People And Together Forever

17. Lunch Prep And Dessert

18. Solar Runs And Study Gossip

19. Study Buzz And Claiming My Own

20. Night Of Freedom And Dual Princes Of The Party

21. Race And Protection Control

22. Heated Betrayal And Remember

23. Girlfriend Versus Fated Mate

24. Aspect Of The Truth And Future Safe Haven

25. That’s Our Girl And Claiming My Pack

STAY CONNECTED

WOLF CROWNED

PROLOGUE: KIDNAPPED THE RING LEADER

ABOUT AVERY SONG

Also By Avery Song