The last couple of weeks have been a blur but I'm getting there now. I live in the capital, Silver City a two day drive from Five Lakes. My new home was once a grand castle but it's been split into apartments. A previous Alpha Romanov disbanded the whole royal aloofness to encourage loyalty and bonding between Alphas and Beta's, my heritage gets me a little single room with a large oval window looking onto an outer walkway wall where the security team patrol. Surrounding the castle is the township that supports the royal household, several hundred buildings which are enclosed within the huge castle walls. Beyond the walls is the estate with flowering meadows, agricultural fields and vast swathes of pine forest as farms the eye could see. Kyra and Ivan are a few corridors away which is nice but luckily Bella is the other side of my hallway so I don't get lonely. I think I was too quick to judge Kyra, she's a actually a very sweet presence against the sometimes prickly Bella now we've
A week after finding out I'd been involved with the murderer Alexander Romanov I'd managed to keep it together. It was the first full moon since my arrival, the White Forest Ball would shortly be underway, the castle full of the Alpha and Beta family groups. The next ball would be the day of my eighteenth birthday so I wanted to sneak a preview. I helped Bella and Kyra into their dresses and styled their make-up as best I could. Bella’s long straight dark hair was set off beautifully in a shimmering silver gown that clung to her slender shape whilst dripping with sparkling crystals. Kyra’s more petite frame and unusual grey hair was tightly wrapped up in a mermaid style neon blue gown which made her look like something from another realm. Neither of them had found mates yet and they didn’t sound hopeful of the night yielding any better results. “Wait until you see the Dance of Connection,” Bella sighed, “all that twirling around into the arms of everyone on the dance floor is just t
“Hello,” was the best I could manage, feeling foolish in my dressed down clothes. “Have you told anybody about seeing me?” he asked firmly. His brow furrowed and his eyes looked so deeply and seriously into mine. “Of course not!” I whispered taking a step towards him, “I promised and I…I wanted to see you again”. Stroking his hand through his dark, unruly hair, I could sense the tension within him dropping down a few notches. “Thank you,” he replied in a low rumble “so you know, I am not following you…you keep appearing” “Really?! That’s so bizarre…” as my words trailed off Fyre filled in the blanks for me, /we’re connected somehow/. The idea of our being connected made a shiver of excitement run through me. “I assume you might have heard some stories already?” his voice was rough and stern sending a shiver through me. “I've heard some things yeah. '' I couldn’t help but look at his body and face and hope he would take hold of me again. He had wanted me last week, the way he too
For the next five minutes I couldn't focus on the dance. I pulled on my sweatshirt, sat on the floor and listened to the music floating around me, trying to make sense of everything Alexander had said...and done to me. There was no way to truly believe the version of events he had given me, Fyre was drawn to him and I was massively attracted to him, but it wasn't proof. The music soared around me as the dance reached its climax and I made myself peep through the curtain. Over thirty men stood in four rows and as the music built to a spinning peak the partners broke and ladies swirled into the arms of a new partner. It was an intricate dance whose pace built up to the switch between partners heightening the drama. I spied Bella and Kyra, Bella still didn't look happy even as she whirled into the arms of a smiling Alpha Bram, her glistening dress and gorgeous figure couldn't compensate for a sour face I mused. Kyra looked to be having a lovely time as she glided into a tall brunette h
The shock of the attack on Caleb and Jack four weeks ago had prompted Alpha Jones to revitalise the training programs of Beta Dawes. It was now mandatory for every male to attend. Sweaty, back breaking drills and sparring sessions were the only noises through town as non-essential shops were shut to allow men to take part in drills and war games in both human and wolf form. Caleb and Jack had taken a few days to recover, whilst their throats had shifter healed, they were left with the faint silvery scars of claws across their neck and up into their jawline. Jack’s eye however was permanently lost, and he now wore a defiant black eye-patch to cover the cavern in his face. Rumours abounded throughout the pack, the original story of a rogue attack was slowly shifting towards a White Forest spy narrative. Most of the older townsfolk were reticent, haunted by the bloodshed from the decades before. It was quietly noted by many that a man would never pluck out another’s eye, it was normal
The two weeks after the ball had dragged so slowly it was torturous. All I seemed to do was fighter training, roam around the castle and read Pack histories in the library although I couldn't find anything further on my parents. The Five Lake scout discovery was common knowledge around the castle and whispers began of an impending war or skirmish to reset the balance. I was conflicted, I loved to fight and spar but against Five Lakes, I would go up against people I had known my whole life, what if I came up against Beta Dawes…it wasn’t worth thinking about. People had started to treat me differently, whereas I had been working my way into the community, most people just saw me as Five Lakes property, a potential traitor and there was a definite coldness. Not from Ivan, Bella and Kyra though. Ivan was a sweetheart, his soft red hair and kind eyes brightened up my day for he had the best sense of humour and took me as I was. Kyras stillness helped me improve my own impulsive nature. B
Thirty minutes later l was laid down on a narrow wooden jetty, shifted back from wolf to human. Staring up at the moonlit sky, the water gently lapping away I felt a sense of peace wash over me. Surrounded by high pine trees that gently swayed with the breeze I kept telling myself the Birazzi surname wasn't going to define me. So what if my bloodline was tied to the Fates, I'd not been brought up with their ways, I didn't meddle with people's futures even I'd have wanted to. An exhausted sigh left my body, cool in my running gear with one hand hanging off the edge of the jetty, sensing the cool, rhythmic pulse of the water. "Hey," an angry voice barked, making me out my skin, "what are you doing this far from the castle?" My eyes flicked away from the stars and landed on the hulking figure of Bram Romanov. He stood with his hands on his hips, black boots, tan trousers, black open shirt displaying a wide chest. He stood a metre away from me and whilst I scrambled up to my feet his d
It’s only been a month since I first came across this girl and she is ruining me. I should have known from watching that fight with Caleb she was something else. The Fates never warned me that I would fall for her even though she isn’t meant to be mine. That’s why people don’t trust the Fates, they only tell you so much of the truth. It drives men insane trying to pick apart the meaning in their words. Hydra growled at my negativity, /she seeks you out every time doesn’t she?/ I can’t allow myself to believe her heart is involved, I argue back. She doesn’t know me really, only the accusations, she might have got caught up in the heat of the moment a few weeks ago. When Bram offers her the Luna throne, when their mate bond is established, I will be beyond gutted. I might as well allow myself to turn rogue even though that would be against my promise to father. Hydra growled even more aggressively at the idea of betraying him, we won’t go rogue whilst we remain undetected in White For