Lux
From what I was told, surgery only took an hour. But I felt like I was descended into darkness for hours.I got shot by a hunter using a bullet laced with wolfsbane. It wasn’t enough to kill me, and we believe it was only meant to subdue me and my wolf, but because of Silas pushing me into the water, it ended up hitting my side and it caused lots of bleeding. The doctor stitched me up and gave me painkillers and put me in a room to recover, but now that I’m eighteen my wolf is closer to the surface and once, they got rid of the shards of the bullet that were in me, my wolf began to heal me. It was a slower process since I haven’t officially shifted yet, but they expected I should move around just fine by dinner.Everyone has been visiting with me and right now I have my eyes closed, so they think I’m sleeping, but I can’t sleep. All I can think of is Silas and how he kissed me.Why did he do it?I don’t understand. I thought he thought of me as a sister.I’ve only ever kissed one boy before, and it was a secret no one knew about. I had kissed Calvin when we were young teens. We kind of started having feelings for one another and seriously contemplated trying to date. But when we kissed, it felt so wrong... like kissing a sibling. We never tried to date again.I never even thought about having feelings for David or Silas after that, because I was sure that the outcome would be the same.But... Silas was different. I wanted to groan in frustration because all I can think about is his pillow soft lips and the way he tasted like cotton candy, one of my favorite treats.I hear a voice that makes me jump, “If you keep thinking so hard, you might hurt yourself.”I huff, “Jesus, Kai! What the hell?”He laughs, “Glad to see you’re okay, Lux.”I roll my eyes, “No thanks to you.”He chuckles and says, “It’s just the two of us, sis. What’s got you thinking so hard? It almost gave me a headache.”Before I can even open my mouth, he asks, “Are you scared? You know it’s rare for people to get on our land, especially hunters. They’re just more determined because you and I are a hot commodity for the black market. But we’ll never let anything happen to you, Lux.”I shake my head no, “I wasn’t worried about it. I know no one will let anything happen to me.”“Then... what’s wrong?” He asks in an exasperated tone, like he’s tried to think of every reason I would be upset, and he can’t figure out how to make me better.I sigh as I think of my brother’s overprotective nature, and I wonder if he will be mad at Silas for kissing me. I say, “You can’t get all upset, okay? I don’t want anyone to know about it. I mean, I don’t think he even knows that I remember it.”“Okay... I’ll keep it a secret. What’s up?” The concern is very clear in his voice.I press my lips together and then blurt out, “Silas kissed me!”I hear almost like a spray sound and then him sputtering as he chokes out, “Wh-what?”My eyebrows furrow and I ask, “Were you drinking water?”“Not the point here. Silas kissed you?”I nod to confirm his question and he asks, “Like... did you want him to?”“He kind of just did it. He was carrying me here, and I was almost unconscious and then he put his lips against mine and it just...” I sigh, “I don’t know.”Kai is quiet, he’s thinking, knowing that he needs to respond to this situation delicately. He huffs, “I don’t even know what to say because I’m not sure how much I want to hear. Like... he isn’t your mate, is he?”I shake my head no and bite my lower lip nervously as I admit the one thing I didn’t even know I felt until now, “No, he’s not... but I want him to be.”“Lux...” He trails off and I sigh, “I know... my mate will be the one I’m destined to be with. And obviously it isn’t Silas, otherwise he would be mine.”Honestly, I’ve reached a point in my life where I’ve accepted the fact that I’m blind and I don’t normally wish to see another person. But right now, I wish I could see Kai. I wish I could tell what he was thinking.I hear a door open and I hear my mom’s voice, “Oh honey, I’m so glad you’re up.”I smile at her and hear my dad’s voice, “How are you feeling, sweetheart?”We make some small talk until the doctor comes to check on me and happily says that I’m good enough to go back to the main house and that by the end of the night, we shouldn’t be able to tell the difference. It makes me so grateful for my wolf and her healing abilities. SilasWhy on earth did I kiss her?I don’t know what came over me, but I haven’t been able to stop beating myself up over it. She is doing okay. I’ve seen her, and the doctor wasn’t worried. But I didn’t stay around the hospital for too long. I just don’t know how to face her now.She was blacking out when I did it, so there’s a chance she doesn’t even remember it. A part of me hopes she doesn’t remember. It will make things so much harder. But a small part of me hopes she remembered and that maybe, just maybe, she liked me back...I won’t know and I’m never going to bring it up. If she wants to talk to me about it, then that’s on her. I walk to the third floor of our pack house/palace. Because we are a part of the royal pack, the pack house isn’t like a traditional pack house and instead looks like a freaking castle. We have a ballroom, a humongous dining hall, several floors. It’s been rumored that there’s even hidden passageways. The third floor is the space that houses the royal Beta and Gamma families. Each side had their own wing that was plenty big for their whole family and in the middle, there was a giant living area for all of us. I sit down on my favorite recliner and I lean my head back in frustration. I can hear footsteps as someone comes into the room and from the scent I smell, it’s my mom. She asks, “What’s got you down, son?”I huff as I open my eyes and look around the room and once I see no one else is there, I tell her honestly, “I wanted Lux to be my mate, but she’s not.”“Ah,” she responds as she sits down across from me and she says, “You know, sometimes that works out for the best. I love Lux and would’ve been thrilled if she was yours or David’s mate, but the moon goddess knows what’s best for all of us. Think about Lux’s parents, they never would’ve ended up together if Zane hadn’t rejected Ri in the first place.”I look at her with my eyebrows furrowed slightly in confusion. To be honest, none of us kids really know the story of the King and Queen and how they got together. And I thought the queen had just dated Zane. I didn’t know that he was her original mate... how did that all work out?My curiosity is overwhelming and I ask, “How did that happen?”My mom sighs, “That’s a story that is not mine to tell. But I’m sure Arch and Ri would be happy to tell you.”She called the King and Queen by nicknames because they’ve all been like family for so many years. We were taught to address the King and Queen formally in front of others and otherwise; it was like calling them uncle and aunt. As we got older, we all adapted to calling them King and Queen because that was the proper thing to do. Mom stands up, and she says, “I know it’s disappointing, Si, but there has to be a reason for everything. Don’t fret over it. When you find your true mate, trust me, it will be like the only feelings you’ve ever had for Lux have been completely platonic.”I can only hope that she is right.Lux By the end of the day, I was completely healed and feeling fine. I can’t wait to talk to my wolf, Kodi, and express my gratitude to her, but I know that’s not supposed to happen until the next full moon, which is in 2 weeks. I know Kai is eager to shift. He’s eager to take his place and to find out what his wolf looks like. It’s a luxury he talks about constantly and doesn’t recognize how hard it is for me to hear because I’ll never know what I look like. As we finish up eating our cake, I hear Kai whisper softly to me so that no one would notice us, “Hey sis, you wanna go for a walk?” My eyebrows furrow, surprised by his request. It’s already so late. I ask, “This late?” “Yeah, come on you’re going to be with me, don’t you trust me?” He asks teasingly because he already knows the answer. “Of course I do.” “Then come on.” He responds as he takes my arm and excuses us. I wasn’t fully paying attention, but I know his excuse had something to do with hanging out with his favori
Kai From the moment I allowed Loki to take control, I didn’t know what happened. I knew nothing until I saw my dad standing in front of me, looking frustrated. We sit in his office to make sure we have privacy, and my mom just gave us each a cup of hot chocolate to help calm us all down. She also sets out some peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and some popcorn. It reminds me of days when we were in elementary school, and we practically lived off of that all the time. I think that’s why she did it, to give us a bit of nostalgia and help us relax and honestly, it seems to work a bit. As we eat, I explain to them what happened and how Loki asked for control, and I gave it to him and then he completely shut me out. My dad is leaned back in his chair with his hand on his chin as he thinks about everything I said. This isn’t normal. Wolves aren’t supposed to block you out like that until later, when you have complete and total trust in one another. On top of that, why did Lux and I shift
Silas By the time Lux and I finished breakfast, everyone else joined us and we all started talking about the fact Lux and Kai shifted last night. It’s crazy, but I imagine it has something to do with the fact they’re royalty. Kai seems frustrated as we all talk and doesn’t say many comments, but I notice that both his and Lux’s eyes cloud up multiple times, showing that they are mind linking and, more than likely, they are linking each other. I want to see what Lux’s wolf looks like. When we were kids, I vaguely remember seeing her shift into her wolf. I glance over at Lux. I bet she has the most beautiful wolf ever. I feel my shin get kicked and I wince in pain, then look across from me to see my brother, David, glaring at me. He knows about my crush on Lux, and he’s never approved of it. But now that we know for certain that she is not my mate, my crush on her just pisses him off. Lux scoots her chair back and stands up, but before I can even try to accompany her, her brother
Lux There are certain times I’m grateful that I’m blind. And as birthday party preparations are in full swing, this is one of them. I could hear my mom, aunts, or grandmas flipping out over some insignificant details like the color of the napkins and it just made me grateful they couldn’t ask my opinion. My opinion only mattered for food, and that had already been picked out over a month ago. We are only a couple of days away from our birthday party and I am so nervous about it. It’s going to be an enormous party with tons of visiting packs, which means the chances of me or one of the boys finding their mate were extremely high. Things haven’t been the same since my birthday. Silas and I haven’t been as close. Calvin and Iris are attached at the hip and both their scents changed which has been a change for me, and Kai is struggling to control his wolf and every day is working towards gaining control over him. I try to help. His wolf seems to respond well to mine, almost like t
Lux I don’t know what came over me that would make me bold enough to straddle Silas. Oh yeah, my aggressive wolf. While I waited for Silas to respond, I yell to her in my head, "What are you doing? Why?! He’s not our mate and he’s my best friend! This will ruin everything." She huffs, "I’m drawn to him and his wolf. Let us have just one day, Lux. Tomorrow, both of us may meet our mates." "And if we don’t?" "... Then maybe we’re meant to be mated to one another." I’m surprised by her statement. I’m surprised she wasn’t appalled at the thought of just being physical with Silas. From what I’ve understood about mates, and everything is that the wolf side of you shouldn’t be attracted to anyone except your mate. But here she is, attracted to Silas, and I can’t help but wonder, what does this mean? I suddenly feel self-conscious because Silas still hasn’t answered me, and his lips are so close to mine. As I feel his breath on my face, I feel desperate to close in the gap between us.
Lux When I get home that night, I swear I am on the highest high. Spending the day with Silas was perfection. Bungee jumping was the biggest thrill, and afterwards we went out to eat at a small bistro that neither of us had ever been to. It was a family run place and had little business, so we talked with the owners for a while. They were human and were pretty old, but they talked about how they knew each other as children and went their separate ways at college, but ultimately found their way back to each other. I secretly wonder if maybe the moon goddess, Selene, matched them together, but I felt jealous that Silas and I wouldn’t be able to have the same outcome. I make a mental note though to send them an anonymous donation. It’s obvious they were struggling to stay afloat, and their food was great, and I want to go there again. When Silas brought me to my room, I asked for him to come in. We need to have a proper goodbye without worrying about who could be watching. And as sa
Lux The dress I’m wearing is silk. I don’t know what color it is, but I’m told that it is supposed to match my eyes. According to Silas, that means it’s a shade of white with shimmers of other colors like blue or pink. I play with the fabric nervously as I feel my mom do my hair and place a crown on my head, a reminder for the night of who I am. I haven’t told her about Silas and my feelings for him... it’s a secret that I’m sure will go with me to my grave. I take a deep breath and can hear my mom talking about how pretty I look and how I’ll probably shock my mate if he’s here tonight. I nod along, but I’m only halfway listening. My stomach is in knots at the thought of meeting my mate. My brother comes into my room, and I didn’t realize he asked everyone to leave until it’s only the two of us left in my room. He asks, “What’s going on, Lux?” “Nothing, just nervous for the crowd, I guess.” He huffs, “I know when you’re lying.” I clench my eyes shut in frustration and ask, “What
Silas I walk closer to my mate, who is already wrapped up in my brother’s embrace. David is obviously oblivious to what is happening and is caught up in the excitement of finding his mate. Her cheeks burn a crimson red as she looks between the two of us and his face is a mix of shock and realization. He nods slowly to himself as he processes what’s happening and she speaks up first. Her voice is soft as she says, “So, you are both my mates?” David smiles brightly just hearing her voice, and he says, “It certainly appears that way. I’m David.” I nod along, “I’m Silas.” She smiles, and I notice one of her front teeth has the tiniest little chip in it and I’m surprised she hasn’t gotten that fixed. She says, “I’m Charlotte.” Overall, Charlotte is a pretty girl. She is probably 5’2, so she is over a foot smaller than me. She has curly auburn hair that is pulled up into a high ponytail, and she has stunning olive green eyes. A part of me is drawn to her, but I am upset that she is n