"Are you going to hide out here forever?"
"I'm not hiding. This is my way of saving LC's life. If I see her in the next forty-eight hours, I swear I'll rip her apart"
"She doesn't know who Logan is. You didn't either when you met him. Looks can be deceiving"
"Are you defending her?"
Reagan sighs "I've been thinking. What if they're just rumors? You saw the guy. He's smitten. The man you're in love with found his mate and Fred couldn't wait for you. What if this is the goddesses' way of making it up to you?"
"By sending me a billionaire dickhead? No thanks," it's been two days since Logan showed up at my house. I don't know what he told my mother but she's now obsessed with him. LC has been singing his praises non-stop. Even after I made it clear to both of them that I wasn't looking for a mate, they still wouldn't listen. It doesn't help that he's sent enough gifts to fill my house even after I kicked him out. Now it's not just LC that's pushing me to mate with him. Even Alpha Cahill is on team Logan.
I asked around about him and all I gathered was that he's filthy rich. Everyone in Solar Pride, which is Logan's pack, is rich. They don't just accept anyone. According to everyone I asked, I should feel lucky that he's set his eyes on me. I thought Reagan would understand why I didn't want to mate with him but I was wrong. It looks like she's joined the Logan wagon.
"What if you never find someone to settle down with?"
"Then so be it. You heard the bartender. He's a sadistic asshole"
"Do you know that bartender? Why are you so quick to trust him and disregard Logan?"
"How much did he pay you?"
Hurt flashes across her eyes "That's mean. You think I'd accept money or anything from him?"
"Honestly? I don't know" jumping to my feet, I decide to leave. Maybe I shouldn't have come to her either "I'm going to take a walk to clear my head. Don't tell LC I was here" I leave before she can say something else. It's hard to believe that it's been less than a week since I met Fred, rejected him, and went to a club where I met Logan. I should have just nursed my broken heart at home. Why did I think going out was a good idea?
Venturing into the forest, I take a deep breath. Trying to release all the tension in my body. Am I judging Logan harshly? Maybe the bartender was wrong about him. I know firsthand how rumors can ruin someone's reputation. Haven't I been judged solely because I'm LC's daughter? People could be wrong about him too. Maybe I should give him a chance. We don't have to mate immediately. We could go on dates and get to know each other. Letting him spend his money on me doesn't sound like a bad idea. After everything I've been through, don't I deserve a little spoiling? Behind me, a twig snaps under someone's foot. Whipping my head around, I see Nova walking toward me. How the fuck did I not hear him approach? What does he want?
"If you're here to pick a fight, I'll advise you to leave. I'm not in the mood to put up with your shit today"
"I don't pick fights with girls"
"No. You just taunt them and assume they'd spread their legs for you because you're the Alpha's son" he looks away as if he's ashamed of that. Which is un-Nova-like. He's a condescending ass.
"I apologized for that" after Reagan went to town on him and his crew.
"Why are you here?"
"I heard you're mating with Alpha Logan"
It's impossible to stop my eye roll "Did your father send you here to convince me?"
"Maybe. Is he your mate?"
"No. And you can save your speech because I'm not mating with him" I was thinking about giving him a chance but now that they're pushing me to do it, I've changed my mind. Forget dating him, I don't even want to see his face.
"Good"
I pause "What?"
"If you don't want to mate with him then don't do it. No one will force you to do it"
Okay...
"Weren't you sent here to convince me otherwise?"
"It's your life. Besides, I don't like that asshole. Something about him seems off"
"Right? I thought I was the only one who thought that"
"Who wants to mate with a stranger he met at a club? Even if you were fated, I'd think he'd take time to get to know you instead of throwing his money around. I don't trust him"
"So what do you suggest I do? Even your dad is pushing me to be with him"
"You have two options"
I unconsciously take a step toward him "Let's hear them"
"You can tell them we're together"
I deflate, disappointed that I let him get my hopes up "I don't even know why I thought you were serious"
"We don't have to be together. We can pretend and tell them the reason you're reluctant is because you're in love with me"
"In your dreams" I huff walking past him but he grabs my arm. Pulling me to a stop.
"What's wrong with me? Don't I look like the kind of man who can satisfy you?"
"Honestly, no one would buy it. We both know that"
"We can prove it to them. There are different ways I can think of to prove to everyone that you're my woman" his voice drops an octave and heat flares in his eyes, making me wonder if I missed something. Is he propositioning me? The Nova Cahill? No fucking way. But as I look into his eyes, it occurs to me that he's not joking.
"You're serious" it's not a question but a statement "Wow, uh, no. I'm not interested"
"I know you think I'm a dick because I was mean to you when you arrived, but that was years ago. I'm not the same immature kid. Give me a chance to show you that I've changed"
"Dude, isn't this supposed to be an act?" He blinks, looking momentarily shocked. As if he can't believe he just said all that. Taking that chance, I yank my arm out of his hold and walk back. Leaving him in the forest. This time when he approaches, I'm very aware of his presence.
"Or you can leave"
There it is.
"I was wondering when you would kick us out"
"I'm not kicking you out. You can leave for a few years and come back after everything is settled. My dad will step down as Alpha in a year. After I take over, I can forbid Logan from setting foot in my territory. You won't have to worry about him"
"Are you possessed? Why are you suddenly being nice to me?"
"Take it as my apology for being an ass" my steps falter, not sure if this is a prank or if he's being real. Nova walks ahead of me. When he's a few steps away, he stops and looks over his shoulder "Sophia" he says my name for possibly the first time since I ever met him "The fact that you don't know it makes you more irresistible"
"Know what?"
"How many men will be willing to forsake their fated mates for you"
Say what now?
******************************************
Ha! Ain't that the truth
Sweat trickles down my hairline, back, and the valley between my breasts. I spent the last hour running because my wolf is hiding. She's still hurting from Fred's rejection. As much as I hate to admit it, LC was right. Saying the words isn't the end. A week after rejecting each other, my wolf became depressed. Which means I am also depressed. Negative thoughts have been popping out of nowhere. All of a sudden, I'd wonder if I wasn't pretty enough for Fred. Then I'd start thinking about his mate and how she looks. If she's better than me. More than once, I've caught myself on the way out to go looking for him and ask him that. He showed me a picture of his children but not her. Judging by how beautiful they were, I'd say she's pretty. But Nova just told me the other day that he would leave his fated for me. Why couldn't Fred leave his chosen for me? Was LC right? Should I hunt them down and break them up so we can all be miserable? Will that make me happy? It's thoughts like these tha
"I'm going for a run" I call out pulling the front door open and slipping outside. LC is still busy calculating what she'll do with the money to pay me any attention. If she looked up, she'd see that I'm not dressed for running or doing any exercise. Granted I'm not taking any luggage in case I bump into someone and they go talking but she could at least look up. I don't know when I'll see her again. I'm not even sure where I'll end up. But I have to go. Glancing one last time at her, I step out and close the door behind me. Aside from my phone, I have a purse with my savings and ID card. In case things don't work out where I'm going, I can have some money to relocate. As I walk towards the east, I take in Bittercrest for possibly the last time. There's no guarantee I'll be coming back. We've moved to so many packs that a part of me resented LC for uprooting us. I wished we would stay in one place and never move again. I wanted to plant roots so my kids could have a place they called
Past I'm an almost eighteen-year-old virgin and Walter thinks it's time I get some experience under my belt since I'm about to shift. His argument was that it would be embarrassing if I met my mate and didn't know what to do with her. Being blind doesn't mean I'm inexperienced in other areas. But he's my older brother and I know he only wants to help. Out of everyone, only Walter and Dad don't treat me like a disabled person. They don't feel sorry for me or whisper behind my back the way others do. I think the rest of the pack doesn't understand that my other senses work just fine. Maybe a bit too fine if you asked me. Especially my hearing. I could be sitting in the pack house but hear a conversation that's going on at the other end of the territory. Compared to humans, wolves have advanced abilities but our sense of smell is the sharpest. In my case, I've come to realize that every other sense is better than even my father's. Walter once told me that maybe i
Past I almost crumbled right there. I've never had anyone speak to me like that. He's the cutest boy I've ever met but he has the filthiest mouth. Not five minutes after we met and he was offering to pay me double to sleep with him. At first, I thought he was pretending to be blind. These disabilities are rarely found in werewolves. They're not unheard of. Just happens like once in a decade or a millennium. So my first thought was that he was pretending to be blind so he could sleep with me. But it's real. Not that it bothers me in any way. I could spend all day staring at his handsome face. It's even better since he can't see me doing it. I wonder why he needed to pay someone to sleep with him. I wouldn't need money to do it. His hand lands on top of mine then slide up my arm and to my neck to hold my face."You have the smoothest skin," he says rubbing his nose along my cheek. Should I stop him? There's no way he'd want to have sex here. Right? Do I want to
"Why? What's wrong?" "I just... I can't be here, Hector. Please turn..." Someone knocks on his window, cutting me off. Hector rolls it down. I half expect to find Kaden standing there but I remind myself that he's blind. He won't receive visitors. Besides, the pack members won't let him do anything. He's probably screwing his mate in that cabin or in their house. Or maybe he's trying to put their pups to sleep. Bile rises up my throat, and I struggle to swallow it down, blinking against the tears that are threatening to spill out. This is so much worse than mating with Logan. I'd rather go back and do it than hide out here. "I'll have some guys unload the cargo. Come with me. We prepared a room for you. I bet you'd both kill to lie on a bed" "You have no idea" Hector pushes his door open and gets out while I continue to sit there, frozen, my insides twisted into knots. Images of Kaden kissing his mate pass through my mind. The both of them walking hand in hand with a little girl
Resisting the urge to bury my nose in the crook of her neck, I lift her and carry her to the living room. Ignoring the way it feels to have her back in my arms. She's changed. No longer the teenage girl I met at the cabin in the woods. Everything about her is different but somehow still the same. Lowering her limp body onto one of the sofas, I take a step back before my hands develop a mind of their own. Leander peers around me, curious about her. "I bet it's because she's hungry. She hasn't eaten anything for almost two days" he says his tone accusing. "Your point?" "You shouldn't have made her sleep for so long. Yesterday night would have been a good time to let her wake up and eat and probably talk. It's her, isn't it? I knew it the second I caught her scent. It's the same as..." "Leander?" "Yes sir" "Get lost" "Yes sir" he scurries out of the pack house. No doubt going to gossip about everything he heard and saw. He's the only person I talk to and that is because he p
My hand goes up to my neck, the other one leaning on the hard marble top behind me to support my trembling body. What the fuck was that? In the short amount of time, I knew Kaden, I never saw him angry. He joked around a lot, got a little irritated when he didn't like something, and alienated himself whenever he didn't feel like talking to anyone. But just now it felt as if he was angry about something and whatever it is, it has to do with me. Which is completely absurd. What reason would he have to be angry? Does he not want me here? It's not like I was planning on staying anyway. I'm not here to ruin his perfect little life. I'll just get something to eat then be on my way. Taking a deep breath, I move to the fridge, pulling it open to look inside. It's filled with all types of food, from meat to vegetables and fruits. I take two pieces of chicken breast and place a skillet pan on the stovetop. Quickly seasoning it with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Heating oil, I cook the chick
I'm afraid to ask what else happened. Leander told me most of the pack members left after Kaden's father and brother died. I'm guessing they didn't want to trust a blind man to lead them. I know there's more he hasn't told me because it's not his place to do it and I'm not sure I'm ready for it. I want to go looking for Kaden and ask him what exactly happened but I've just been warned not to mention anything about that incident. I follow Leander back to the house as he gets me up to speed on how things work around here. "You don't have to worry about anyone disturbing you. Aside from the boss, no one else stays in the pack house" "Why not?" "He likes his privacy. Which is why he spends most of his time at the cabin. So basically, you'll have the house to yourself most of the time" I want to ask about her. Where is she? Does she live with him at the cabin? How often do they come here? I'd like a schedule so I can get out of their way when they're around. Guess this means I'm sta