The incessant pounding on my door draws me from the nest of covers as I tug tighter to my frame. My first instinct is to growl and tell whoever it is to fuck off, but I think better of it when I remember where I am. It would probably be a bad idea to disrespect the pack that saved you and allowed you to stay in their packhouse.
“Wren, I know you must be tired, but the Alpha would like to speak with you.” I can hear Nickolai on the other side of the door.
“Give me a minute to get dressed,” I say, biting back my attitude. I am exhausted and hungry, which can be a lethal combination with me. Well, any woman, really.
“Tank will walk you to his office when you are ready.” He calls to me before the sound of his retreating footsteps can be heard.
Panic worms its way into my chest, making it feel like I might just completely crack open. When I imagined regaling A
“Uh. No, I mean. He thinks so, but I doubt it.” I gulp the hot tea quickly, pretending not to feel the searing burn of it as it flows down my throat like a hot acid burning from the inside out. If I hadn’t just scalded my mouth on the hot concoction, I’m sure I would have found the flavor profile nice. I’m not a nervous person. Under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t hold my tongue or stutter for the right words. I don’t back down and I sure as shit don’t lie. Yet here I am, knowing for a fact that Nickolai is not my mate, playing under the false pretenses that he might be all because my real mate wants to protect him. “Hmm, and is that because you know who your mate is or because you don’t want to find your mate? I have heard a lot about you, Wren. From more than one person.” He smiles kindly, waiting for a response. “Nickolai is probably one of the best men I have ever met, Alpha. But I am not suitable for the best. I, at best, always fall short.” “Ah, I didn’t take you for one t
~Sebastian~ I hit the button to open the blackout curtains, watching as in a matter of moments daylight eclipses the darkness my room has been shrouded in for three days. After a shower and some fresh clothes, I can honestly say the fog in my head seems to have subsided as has most of the pain in my body. That’s not to say that I’m completely healed. I’m not naïve enough to think that being near death, I’m going to be moving around like nothing happened. Even if I could fake it, no one would care enough to let me do anything. Hell, Nickolai had thrown a fit when the healer said I should try to get outside today and get some fresh air and sunlight. I’m healing faster than they expected, or so they keep saying, so instead of being locked in my room for a week, I’m being allowed to walk around. Thank the stars too because I’m to the point that I’m imagining seeing Wren every night. The ghost of her coaxing me through moments of pain and the sparks that would light me up when our skins
~Wren~“You need to focus on me, Wren.” Tank scolds me after what feels like the hundredth time getting struck on my right side.“Sorry,” I mutter, wiping my sweaty brow with my forearm.I take a quick peek over my shoulder, feeling the void of Sebastian’s stare. It doesn’t matter that I know he isn’t there, I still catch myself hoping he is waiting for me. I refuse to beg him to accept me or keep me close. It doesn’t matter how many times I have to remind myself that I have too much pride. I can not be the one who gives in. Sebastian knows where I stand. The next move is on him.A sharp pain vibrates up my side as Tank lands yet another blow on my upper torso.“Fucking shit! Couldn’t you pull your punches or something?” I seethe rubbing my rib cage.“You expect the enemy to care if you are daydreaming?” He quirks a curious brow from behind his f
Moonlight filters in through the windows, bathing me in its blue hazy rays. After my confrontation with Nikolai and his mother, I was no use at training. Tank was trying to get me to protect my head, but instead of blocking, I tried to strike. Needless to say, Tank punched me right out of my own head, after which he promptly chewed me out and told me to walk it off and go get dinner. He canceled training for the rest of the evening. So here I am, sitting exactly where I was hours ago, trying to wrap my head around the turns my life has taken. I’ve mourned the ‘what if’ regarding Nickolai. Then, I moved onto pondering the future I may or may not ever get with Sebastian, all sprinkled in with what will happen in this war and the nature of Luna Nikita’s relationship with Alden. The only things I’ve settled on are that Luna Nikita is covering something from her past and she must be an old pack memb
A warm hand encases my upper arm gently and spins me around, and I’m tucked into a warm embrace. Sebastian folds around me like he was made to meld with my body, pulling me in, making me feel whole. And then I break. Out of obligation, he is once again helping me. Must we only ever have each other when we are in pain? Fuck, what I would give to be enough for someone. “Please come back to my room with me.” He whispers into my ear, his warm breath sends shivers down my spine. I shake my head no.“Birdie, please, I need you.” A sob wracks through me as I pull myself from his embrace, taking a step back and wrapping my arms around my middle. “But you don’t want me,” I remind him. “That’s not true.” He shakes his head, reaching out for me. “Sebastian, I can not handle this back-and-forth shit anymore.” I squeeze my middle tighter. “I know. I know! But fuck Birdie. I don’t know what to do. I’m trying to do what’s rig
~Sebastian~ “Seb,” Wren whispers from behind me. I force my eyes open and roll onto my back to see her standing at the side of her bed, dressed and ready for her training. “What time is it?” I rasp out groggily. My shirt sticks to my body that is covered in a thin layer of sweat. “Almost six. The others usually get up around seven, so it’s probably best if you sneak back to your room before I leave for my run.” She says as she reaches out and touches her chilled fingers to my forehead. The sparks chase away what remnants of a headache I didn’t know I had. I can’t help but sigh and close my eyes in relief. The bed dips beside me and my eyes open to see her crawling closer with worry on her brow. “I’m fine.” I try to reassure her, though my voice sounds anything but firm. “Yeah, well, as a proper friend, it’s my duty to tell you, you look like shit. You should go back to your bed and get some rest.” She grins at me as I grab her pillow and whack her upside the head with it. She fal
~Wren~ I should have called the moment I got the phone this morning. I was excited and craving a talk with dad, but now that I’ve spent the entire day stewing in the many ways the conversation could go, I’m finding it hard to hit the call button. What if he needs me and I can’t be there? What if he doesn’t answer or worse, what if something happened? Sweat covers my palms and I wipe them on my clean pajama pants with a puff of nervous breath. “I can do this. Just a simple ‘Hey dad, how are you?’ Easy. I got this.” My hands shake as I type in his phone number and hit the green phone icon connecting our lines. I jump with every trill of the line, each sound a reminder that he might not be there anymore. He could be dead for all I know. Tears crowd my eyes and I swallow the sting in my throat. “Hello?” an unfamiliar male voice answers the phone.
When I wake up, I have more resolve. My head is clear of the emotions and what felt like a slap in the face from reality. I am finding it much easier to get caught up in the pack's safety I’m in and the comfort of my mate’s arms. Even if he won’t claim me yet and we are just… friends. I can’t allow myself to get distracted anymore. I need to push myself and focus on the important things. Saving my pack and the rebels. I grab my training gear and move to the bathroom, working out my new plan as I go through the daily motions. The first thing on the docket is getting packs to join me, sadly this is also the hardest thing on my list. I’m nothing more than a low-ranking wolf exiled from my pack for betraying them. This is why I have decided I need to travel back the way I came and seek the help of the rogues. They are the original rebels and where I technically belong with them. The biggest feat I