IZZY POVThe triplets followed me out of the room and Caleb closed the door firmly behind us. “I’m really proud of you,” Reese said to me. “I admire how you’re always standing up for your mom.”I looked at him with a smile. “She sacrificed everything for me,” I said, softly. “It bothers me when people don’t see her for her amazing self.” I took two steps forward and then felt a wave of heat hit me like an oven. “Do you feel that?” I asked, faltering, my voice sounding a million miles away in my head. My vision began to swim, and I heard one of the brothers exclaim very loudly. I felt hands on my body, and I tried to push them off, weakly. I was too hot. I didn’t want anyone to touch me.I blacked out, but not all the way. I was vaguely aware of being lifted, cradled in someone’s arms. I heard a hollow voice saying that I was too hot. I tried to protest, to ask for water, but I was as weak as a newborn kitten. I could feel my clothes being peeled off from my body and then
IZZY POVI woke up to howling. The room was dark and the curtains were drawn but they moved slightly in the breeze of the open window. I had no idea how long I had slept, but I felt great. I haven’t felt this rested in a long time.I slid out of bed and padded to the window, pulling back the curtains. The full moon shone so brightly that it was almost as bright as the day. I leaned out, looking to see if I could see the animal that was howling.It wasn’t just one animal. It was hundreds. All wolves. No wonder I woke up to them. They were all over the lawn and in the tree line. Some were playing and some were running, and some were just sitting there. Every once in a while, a wolf would howl, and dozens would answer it.I stood in the window, just watching the beautiful animals. There must be a sanctuary of wolves close by because I have never even seen one in the wild, let alone hundreds. I watched quietly, enjoying the show that they were putting on until my attention w
IZZY POVI’ve been at the Alpha House for three months. My days are pretty much filled; the mornings I train with my mom and the triplets and in the afternoon, I was working with my tutor. My birthday is a week away and I’ve given myself an early birthday present. I earned my diploma today!“Miss Emerald told me that you’ve graduated,” Aunt Luna said at dinner. I grinned at her. “Yep! No more high school for me. I’m going to start applying to colleges in a few weeks.” I forked up a big helping of spaghetti. Joanna, the cook, was amazing. She even made her own noodles. I saw the rest of the family exchange glances. I put down my fork. “What’s going on?” I asked, suspicious. “What are you planning on studying?” Caleb asked, his voice a little funny. I narrowed my eyes. Something was going on. It was like my announcement that I was going to college was a surprise. That’s just what people did. They finished high school and went to college. I couldn’t figure out what th
Caleb, Reese and Ethan’s POV“What’s up with Katie?” Caleb asked his brothers later that night. “What do you mean?” Ethan asked. Caleb shrugged.“I don’t think she likes Izzy. She’s kind of mean to her. I’m pretty sure she deliberately tripped her today.” Caleb flopped on to the couch. Ethan took the seat opposite him and reached for the television remote. “Dude, I’m serious,” Caleb said. “Don’t turn on the TV. We need to talk about Katie.”“Why?” Ethan asked, a little sharply. Caleb rolled his eyes.“Well, for starters, she’s not very nice to Izzy.”“Izzy isn’t very nice, either,” Ethan said. “Did you catch that slutty-chic comment?”Reese laughed. “Oh, yeah. That was a good one. And deserved. Katie started it with the comments about her sweater.”“I don’t see it,” Ethan said, trying to pick up the remote again. Caleb came over and took it from him. “We all know you have a soft spot for Katie because she was your first, umm, experience,” Caleb said. “But start think
IZZY POVI was sitting with my new girlfriends in my little sitting area. Joanna had made trays of pizza bites, cheese sticks and French fries for us to snack on. She had put some carrot sticks on the tray that we were ignoring, instead choosing the chips and popcorn to snack on between the greasy bites. We were lounging around and watching the movie Enchanted, talking at the same time and laughing at the silly scenes.It was during the scene when the main character makes a dress out of the curtains that Destiny turned to the group. “Did you guys get your dresses for the ball next week?”Sami clasped her hands to her chest. “Yes. And I love mine. We picked it out from Casey’s Couture in the village.”“Oh, I love that shop,” Lucy said. “We ordered mine online, but I wish I went there to pick it out. What are you wearing, Destiny?”“My mom saved her ball gown from when she was my age. It’s beautiful and it’s vintage. She hemmed it so I won’t trip on it and it’s a perfect fit.
CALEB ETHAN AND REESE POVReese slipped his cell phone back into his pocket. “We might have a problem,” he said to his brothers. Caleb looked up from the game he was playing on his phone. “What is it?” he asked.Reese looked over to make sure Ethan was paying attention. “That was Brian. He just talked to Lucy. Seems Katie was at the Casey’s Couture making trouble for Izzy.” Ethan sighed. “Could Lucy have overreacted? Maybe trying to get points with mom and dad by watching out for Izzy?”“She called Izzy a human and a Bella Swan. Told her that she wasn’t our kind and that she was a freak.”Caleb sat up. “Oh, crap,” he said. “How did Izzy take it?”Reese shrugged. “I think you and I had better go find out.” He turned to look at Ethan. “And you need to have that talk with Katie. Now.”***************ETHAN POVI called Katie and asked her to meet me in at the coffee shop as soon as possible. She was a little hesitant and I could tell that she knew that I knew what she ha
IZZY POVI decided to get a little dressed up for dinner. I put on a long maxi skirt and a tank top with a cropped cardigan over the top. I strapped my feet into high heels, something I rarely wear, but I needed for tonight’s set up. Then I headed out to the staircase.My plan was to hang out until I heard the twins on the landing below. I would then “accidently trip” on my heels and take a tumble. If they caught me, I would know that they had the speed of a werewolf. If not, well, I would have a few bruises for sure.I have to admit, I almost abandoned my plan when I started thinking about what would happen if one of the triplets didn’t catch me. I didn’t want to go to my first dance with a broken ankle, but I was pretty sure that they were wolves. There were just too many things that didn’t make sense until you threw the werewolf card in the mix.I could hear voices in the hallway below me, so it was time, I decided. I started walking down the steps and then stopped. I cou
IZZY POVYou know that moment when you realize you made a big mistake? Yeah. I’m there.After I packed my backpack, I wrote a quick note for my mom and stuck it on my bed before sneaking out of the house. I had used my phone to check satellite maps and had found the nearest road. I figured if I could hitchhike about a hundred miles, there was a pretty big city where I was sure I would find a job and a cheap apartment. I just needed a few weeks to get everything set up so that mom could join me. I knew it was a bad idea for her to stay in the pack with Silvo. I didn’t want to see her hurt again, and I didn’t trust my father. He hurt her once. He would do it again.Shortly after I left, it started snowing. I still had my phone, but I no longer had coverage. I had taken a lot of detours, trying to find the areas that were easiest to walk in the snow, and now I didn’t know if I was still heading in the right direction. It was dark; night came early in the winter in the mounta