ALEJANDRA.
It’s been a couple of nights since I met Forrest on the beach, and I definitely haven’t thought about him.
Nope.
Not once.
At least, that’s what I tell myself, but by telling myself not to think about him, aren’t I just thinking about him?
Tonight, my house is noisy and full of people. Well, not full, but we do have company. My mom and dad invited a family over.
My dad works with another doctor that has a large family too. They have five kids, all pretty close in age to us, so they come over every once in a while for dinner and game night. It’s always super loud and chaotic.
“Hey, Little A.”
I look up to see a pair of blue eyes eagerly watching me. I have to resist the urge to roll my eyes.
They have a son named Shawn. He’s the same age as Katherine and me. He goes to our school, so I see him a lot, but he’s a little too flirty for my taste. At least with me. He never flirts with Katherine.
“It’s Alejandra,” I say, frowning.
Why does my family and this one boy insist on calling me ‘Little A’? I hate the nickname so much.
I turn to walk away from Shawn, but I hear footsteps behind me and know that he is following.
“So, how have you been?” he asks. “I haven’t heard from you this summer. You haven’t responded to any of my DM’s.”
Katherine, who is standing close by, laughs. “Shawn, if a girl doesn’t respond, it’s probably because she’s just not interested.”
If only I were brave enough to say that to him. I want to tell him that I’m not interested, but I can’t seem to bring myself to say the words. In my head they sound so cruel.
“Little A is just playing hard to get,” Shawn says, then winks at me.
Dear Lord, this boy is frustrating.
My face grows warm.
“See, she’s blushing.” He reaches out a hand toward me, so I scream, backing away.
Was he seriously about to touch me?
“Hey,” Katherine says, stepping between Shawn and me. “Touch her and I will kick your butt.”
“I wasn’t going to,” Shawn replies, his face red. He’s frowning as he looks over Katherine at me. “I’m sorry, Alejandra.”
I don’t respond because I don’t know what to say. If I tell him it’s okay, he will just try to touch me again. That’s the last thing I want. I want his private thoughts to stay private, and if he knew exactly what touching me would do, I don’t think he’d want to touch me either.
I turn around and walk out the back door of my house. I just need a moment to breathe. There are too many people, too many voices.
Deciding to take a walk, I head off toward the ocean. I try to tell myself that I’m doing this to clear my head, but I kind of want to see Forrest again. I’ve wanted to see him again ever since I left him on the beach that night. I didn’t even get his number.
His number?
He was insane. Why would I get his number?
Yet, I still feel so drawn to him. Like a moth to a flame.
The moon is nearly full tonight, and I watch it as I walk down the street.
There is a part of me that has always felt drawn to the moon—like it’s calling out for me, waiting for something. I feel like the moon can speak to my soul. It instantly calms my nerves, and for the first time since I left Forrest on the beach, I feel content.
Disappointment fills me when I don’t see Forrest sitting on the bench, but maybe it’s for the best. Whatever I feel for him, it’s not normal. I walk past the bench and take a seat on the sand close to the water. I keep looking at the moon in awe.
As I sit there, I feel a familiar tingle at the back of my neck.
I’m being watched again.
“Go away,” I call out.
“Excuse me?” A voice responds behind me.
An unfamiliar voice.
I quickly turn around and see there is a boy walking toward me, but it’s most definitely not Forrest.
“Oh my gosh. I am so sorry,” I say. “I thought you were somebody else.”
“Is somebody bothering you?” he asks, his nostrils flaring.
“No.” I wave my hand in a dismissal.
He sits down beside me in the sand. He’s a little too close for comfort, so I scoot a little away from him. I don’t want to accidentally touch.
“I’m Desmond Wolfe.”
Wolfe?
Forrest claimed to be a wolf.
“Do you know a guy named Forrest?”
He nods. “He’s my alpha.”
His…
Alpha?
I look at the boy sitting next to me. His dark brown hair is a little bit shaggy, but I get the feeling it’s not normal for him to keep his hair thing long. It’s like… maybe he hasn’t had time to cut it or something. His eyes are a brilliant color of bright blue.
Except…
His eyes flash yellow as he studies me.
I’m seeing things.
I close my eyes and rub them. When I open them, his eyes are blue again.
“What’s your name?” He’s had a smile on his face since he first sat down and his eyes haven’t left mine once. He raises an eyebrow as he waits for me to answer.
“Alejandra.” I swallow hard. What is it about this boy that makes me so nervous?
“It’s very nice to meet you, Alejandra,” he rumbles in a gentle tone.
When he says my name my lungs constrict, like I can’t take a deep breath. My heart races and I feel it all the way to my toes.
Mine, a voice from within says.
Mine?
What the heck?
I just met him.
And I’m pretty sure I had a similar reaction to Forrest.
I’ve never had a crush on a guy in my life. I’ve never even been attracted to anybody. I always thought there was something wrong with me. Now, I meet two guys in two nights that completely take my breath away.
Too bad they’re both insane.
“So, you think you’re a wolf too?” My gaze traverses over him as I wait for his answer.
He raises an eyebrow. “I’m a wolf shifter.”
I nod. “Cool.”
Because what else do you say to a crazy person?
“You don’t believe me.” Desmond cants his head to the side.
“I’m sorry,” I say with a slight shrug. “I just… have hard time believing something so crazy. Werewolves don’t exist.”
“I didn’t say I was a werewolf,” Desmond counters. “I’m a wolf shifter. Werewolves are monsters from a story. I’m real.”
“Okay.” I force a smile on my face.
This poor guy really thinks he’s a supernatural creature.
“What are you?”
“I’m human,” I answer.
“You don’t smell human,” he says, leaning over and sniffing me.
“Whoa, personal space.” I raise my hands and lean back, my heart racing in my chest.
He’s so close.
So close and not touching.
I want to touch him.
I’ve never wanted to touch somebody before.
“I’m cool with sharing the beach with you, but you can’t touch me,” I warn.
“Why can’t I touch you?”
“Because I have hapheophobia.”
“I have no idea what that is,” he says, grinning at me. “But I know that you’re lying.”
“You know I’m lying?”
“I’m a wolf.” He taps on the side of his head. “I can sense these kinds of things. Plus, your heart skipped when you said it. It’s a sure sign that you’re not telling the truth.”
“I was diagnosed with hapheophobia.”
“You were diagnosed, but it’s not the truth.” He shifts his body to face me. “So, what is this hapheophobia?”
I take a deep breath, licking my lips. “It’s the fear of being touched.”
“But you’re not scared of being touched,” he says, not looking away from my face. There’s a gleam in his eye as he speaks. “I’m right. There’s another reason why you can’t be touched. What is it?”
My mouth hangs open.
How is it a boy I’ve just met has figured out what my family hasn’t figured out after seventeen years?
“I… I’m not telling you,” I huff, closing my mouth. “No offense, but you’re a stranger. I just met you.”
“Fair enough.”
Not able to stand looking into his eyes any longer, I turn my attention forward and stare at the moon. An instant calm rushes over me, and I can’t help but feel… right. Everything is right. Including the boy sitting beside me. He belongs in my life.
“Did you know that your eyes change colors?” Desmond asks.
“No, they don’t.”
“Seriously. They change colors. Like a mood ring. And when you look at the moon, your eyes are yellow.”
I cast my gaze down.
His eyes change colors in the moonlight too, but I’m too scared to admit it out loud. Because if I say it, won’t that make me just as crazy as him?
PHOENIX.
“This is actually ridiculous,” I complain to Puma as we get close to Jacksonville.
Forrest was supposed to be at the school by now. When he said he wasn’t coming, we thought he was joking—at least until he refused to answer any of our calls and texts. We sent Desmond after him, and now Desmond won’t come back. He called us to let us know he would be staying in Jacksonville, but he wouldn’t give us any details. So now, Puma and I are going to pick them up.
If we’re late for school again, Forrest’s dad is going to throw a fit.
The four of us—Forrest, Desmond, Puma, and I—have been late three years in a row for school. And I don’t mean a few hours late. We usually show up a whole week late. Last year, we showed up one month late. It was kind of my fault, but after that we got in a lot of trouble. Forrest promised his dad we wouldn’t be late this year and here we are—late.
Our alpha has been calling us constantly. We keep ignoring his calls because what would we say? Your son is refusing to leave Florida? I’m sure that would go over well. Instead, we’re just going to get him ourselves.
“What do you think could be keeping them here?” Puma muses.
“I can think of nothing that would make Forrest defy his father.”
Forrest is stubborn at times, but he always listens to our alpha. We all do. It’s what makes us pack. If we were all just running off and doing whatever we wanted all the time, who would defend the pack? How would anything get done? We’re loyal, always, to our alpha.
I see the sign welcoming us to Jacksonville.
Thank goodness.
As soon as we cross over the line, I feel something… a pull… My stomach tightens, and I actually have to fight against my wolf to keep him from coming out. When I look at Puma, I notice he’s struggling too.
“What the heck is that?” Puma asks.
“I don’t know.” I grip the steering wheel harder. “But it feels like…”
My voice trails off, because I don’t know a word to describe it.
Puma pipes up. “It feels like fate.”
He’s right.
It does feel like fate.
It feels like everything I could ever want is right here in this city.
“This is so weird,” Puma says.
“I know.”
“No wonder they haven’t left yet.”
The closer we get toward fate, the faster my heart races.
Why do I feel like my life will never be the same again after this?
ALEJANDRA.Today we are taking Zaire to college.All ten of us—Dad, Mom, Dahlia and her husband Alex, Clay, obviously Zaire, Katherine, me, Legend and Amara.We are taking five separate vehicles. Dad and Legend are driving his pickup truck with a lot of Zaire’s stuff in the back. Mom and Amara are taking the SUV with all the seats folded down and the back full of stuff. Dahlia and Alex are driving their small car. They’re not carrying anything, but Alex is going to help move stuff. Not like we need help, but Dahlia wanted to come. Zaire and Clay are taking Zaire’s car. Katherine and I are in the back of the caravan, driving the Jeep that we share. There is really no point in driving, but I just didn’t want to ride with anybody else, and Katherine thinks guys will talk to her if she’s driving because they’ll think she’s a college student. I don’t mind, as long as she drives.Katherine and I are quiet on the drive. I think we’re both sad that we have to say goodbye to Zaire. Sure, he’ll
ALEJANDRA.Today feels like a monumental day. Like something big is going to happen. Something that will change my life. I don’t know why I feel this way, but I can’t shake the feeling. It’s not necessarily bad, but it’s strange.Katherine is going out tonight with a guy from our school. He texted her earlier and asked if she wanted to go eat dinner and get a movie. She doesn’t like the guy, but she said she never turns down free dinner and a free movie. I don’t understand why she would go out with a guy she doesn’t really like, but I don’t question her. I’m actually kind of glad she’s going out because I want to spend some time alone tonight.Getting up from my desk, I head downstairs. I tell myself I’m just going on a walk, but I know it’s more than that. I know exactly where my walk is going to lead.When I let my mom know I’m going for a walk, she’s so upset about Zaire leaving yesterday that she doesn’t even complain about it.Once I get outside, I see the almost full moon in the
ALEJANDRA. I hear the ocean in my dream. There are soft waves crashing and… A rocking motion? Why am I rocking? And why do I feel like I got the best sleep of my life? I stretch my arms and legs out. I can literally smell the salt water in the air, like I’m sleeping on the beach or something. Wait a minute. My eyes open abruptly, and I find myself in an unfamiliar room. The rocking sensation wasn’t just in my dreams. Something is rocking gently. I am in a small bed in the corner of a room. I sit up and look around, seeing nothing familiar. There is a small window with a curtain covering it, so I get up and walk over to look outside. When I look out, I see nothing but water. Oh, my gosh. I’ve been kidnapped. My heart is racing, and my entire body feels heavy. Think, Alejandra. What’s the last think you remember? Forrest. Phoenix. Desmond. Puma. I hate how just thinking their names makes my heart race for an entirely different reason than fear. Why are they the last thin
ALEJANDRA.Desmond thinks he’s my “mate.” Mate as in soulmate.He thinks we’re meant to be together.I don’t want to hurt his feelings, but how can we be meant to be when I literally just met him? I don’t know him well enough to be together with him.Plus, the fact that whatever I feel for him, whatever connection we have, I also have that same connection with the other three guys. I try to keep that out of my mind, but it’s impossible. I cringe, thinking about him listening in on my private thoughts. He’s talking with Forrest at the moment. He’s on the other side of the deck, but I know he can hear me.I groan.Great.Now my “mate” knows that I also have feelings for his three best friends. This thing is turning out great so far.I’m also worried about my family. Forrest told me I can call them once I arrive at the school, as long as I promise not to talk about the fact that I’m at a school for werewolves.They don’t like being called werewolves. They say they’re wolf shifters and th
ALEJANDRA.People are staring at me.Do I call them people? Well, I guess they’re technically people, but they’re more than human. They’re shifters. Shifters that could probably rip me to shreds in two seconds flat if I pissed them off.Still, they’re staring at me. They’re probably wondering what I’m doing here. That is a question I wish I knew the answer to myself. Yet, here I am, in a castle where I’m about to attend school.“Do the stairs change positions?” I whisper to Forrest, since he is the closest to me.He raises an eyebrow. “Why would they do that?” “Never mind,” I mumble.Right.I forgot.They don’t even know what Harry Potter is.“Explain yourself,” he demands, not leaving me room to argue.I roll my eyes.Forrest truly is the “alpha.”“It’s from this movie,” I say, waving my hand. Though, it’s much more than just a movie. It’s easier to explain it this way though.“We will watch this movie with you.” It’s not a question.Great. Glad we settled that.When you first walk i
ALEJANDRA.Forrest comes back into the oval office to get the rest of us after he’s done talking to his dad.Oval office.I giggle.We’re halfway down the stairs when I bump into the back of Forrest. He and Desmond have both stopped and they’re looking at me. I look behind me and see that Puma and Phoenix are also staring at me.“What?” I ask.“We’ve never heard you laugh before,” Puma says, voice filled with something I can’t describe.“Oh.” I drop my gaze, uncomfortable with them all looking at me right now. Forrest and Desmond start walking again, so I follow behind them.I’m honestly kind of worried about falling down these stairs. They’re so tall, I’d probably fall forever.“Don’t worry, I’d catch you,” Forrest is quick to assure me.Ah, right.Forrest is in my head now.Or has he always been?“You guys have a lot of things you need to tell me.”“We will. Soon,” he promises. “We just need to get through the next few hours first.” The next few hours.I can do that.“Why did you te
ALEJANDRA.The guys are acting weird—tense. I wonder if it has anything to do with the fact that Forrest’s dad is coming. He’s the alpha, which I think means he’s like the president of the wolf shifters. I don’t exactly understand the leadership system just yet. All I know is that he’s alpha and that someday, Forrest will be alpha too.Forrest acts like an alpha. The guys always do what he says, and he expects me to do the same.Ha.Me? Listen to his commands? That’s not going to happen.One thing I know for sure is that I’m not a wolf shifter. So, technically, he’s not my boss, even if he is my mate.I’m a little confused by the term mate. I thought it meant soulmate. But if I’m both Desmond and Forrest’s mate then I must have heard something wrong. Or maybe wolves have more than one mate. That would be weird, especially when I introduce them to my parents.How could I explain to my human parents that I have four werewolf boyfriends?Wolf shifters, I correct myself. They’re not werew
ALEJANDRA.My head is swimming by the time we leave the meeting with Alpha Romano. I have so many questions, yet the second I get alone with the guys I can’t think of one. I think my brain is just exhausted from the long day.It has been such a long day.Was it just this morning that I woke up on a boat in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean?Yeah, I guess it was.Now, it’s the afternoon as we’re leaving the castle. The guys say we’re going to our off-campus dorm, which I find incredibly confusing because weren’t there boys and girls dorms in the castle? Or maybe the seniors stay somewhere else.Tomorrow I guess we will go to class. I don’t even have a schedule, and I have no idea where I’ll be going or what classes I’ll be taking. I don’t even know if Margot Westwood got my transcript from my last school.“Don’t worry. Everything is settled.” Desmond speaks up, answering my unasked question.But how is it settled?I’m just so confused.I’ll also never get used to having somebody else in