It’s dark when I wake. His arm is heavy around my waist, protective and comfortable. I should be this comfortable with a stranger, but I can’t deny my own sense of peace. Of safety in his embrace. My face is pressed against the grass and I stretch out, slow and aching from a night under the stars. He doesn’t stir, only breathes heavily against the back of my neck. It’s kind of cute. But I’m struck with the strangeness of what I’ve done. Never, I never imagined that I could have sex with a strange man, nor that it could be so good. What does that make me? Does it mean something about who I am and what I enjoy? I feel anxiety, worry and imagine the judgement of a thousand eyes looking on.
I remind myself that I’m a consenting adult, and I don’t owe anyone anything. I shouldn’t even feel guilty about Josh, but some part of me does. I’m panicking and I know it. I’m easing away from my handsome stranger before Seren stirs and can stop me. Because I know she would want to stay. To meet the man in the light of day, and his wolf. It hurts to ease away from his aura and the protective arm of his wolf. I slide his shirt off my shoulders and set it down by his hand. I’m on my feet, padding carefully across the grass until I’m far enough away.I climb the hill steadily, feeling like my heart is being ripped in two. This is ridiculous, it was just a one night stand. I shouldn’t be feeling so attached to a stranger. I can’t afford to be attached to a stranger. Love just lets you down. That’s what Josh and Bell taught me. Love betrays and it hurts like a bitch. I don’t want to be hurt. If it’s just a one night stand, then a handsome stranger can’t hurt me. I can just enjoy what we had.The dancefloor is a mess, there are still a few people swaying in the grey light of dawn, a few twinkling fairy lights swaying between the tree’s. But looking at the sky above, it’s clear that it’s going to rain. I can feel it in the air, the heaviness of precipitation about to fall. I feel a pang of regret about the man left sleeping in the open. But I reclaim my shoes from where I abandon them and skirt the dancefloor, dodging the trash that has been left behind, mostly a bunch of napkins, or an abandoned glass or plate. Someone’s going to have a hell of a job tidying up after the wedding and mating ceremony. I know Belle and my Father will expect me to be around to pitch in, but I’m out of here. I’m gone. I know I’m not in the best frame of mind to be making any kind of decisions, but I just want to run.Because walking through the aftermath of the wedding is like being hit with the weight of a truck. The lie I’m going to have to uphold, the secret of their affair that I’ll need to carry. They begged and begged me not to tell, to pretend like everything was fine for the wedding. The wedding’s over and I’m getting out of here, before I run into Ryan and have to break his heart too, telling him his wife is sleeping with my boyfriend. I hate myself, and it’s overwhelming.In the main packhouse is a row of lockers by the main door, available for anyone to use. The hall leads down to a main dining room for Pack dinners and functions, but also off to a snug that’s mostly used by the young adults and teens.I stowed my bag in my car before the party, but my keys and phone are secured away in a locker. I fumble with spinning silver dials as I work through to my code and pull open the padlock. Yanking it away from the metal with a scrape. There’s a protest from the snug and it’s clear that I wasn’t the only guest who didn’t make it to their bed last night.I grab my keys and phone and cross down the hall and out the otherside of the wooden pack house to the carpark. My car isn’t fancy, but at least it’ll get me away from here and back to college. So I can spend a few days pulling my broken heart back together, trying to process exactly what happened with my stranger. I slide into my car before the rain starts falling, hissing down in heavy drops. They splatter on the windscreen but I’m tearing out the parking lot like I’m being chased. My whole life I’ve been a model student, a good daughter with a steady boyfriend. I’ve been dependable, sensible and I’m freaking out. Last night wasn’t sensible. It was insane. But why did insanity feel good? Is there something wrong with me?Kylar’s POvI sit up with a jump, startled by the heavy drops of rain falling on my skin. I blink, twisting around in search of her. Heart thumping hard as I realise that I’m alone. I rub my hands across my face, trying to clear my thoughts but the rain is heavy and I’m on my feet, snatching up my shirt. It still smells like her and I pull it on, before scrambling around for my tie, jacket, shoes and socks, all whilst the rain bounces off the hard ground and up again. I’m soaked by the time I’m running back to the pack house. There’s a sense of panic that I can’t shake. I sprint across the dancefloor with a handful of people that have gone all night. There’s a couple giggling as they sprint together towards the open door of the pack house. I skid inside, onto the hardwood floors and look around, trying to scent her. Where did she go? There’s a row of chairs beside the door, out the rain and I drop down into one. Dragging on my socks before pushing my feet into the stupid shiny dress shoes. I sit back, slicking my hand through my hair, sending drops spraying against the wall before tipping my head back against the paint work. I’m aching, exhausted from a lack of sleep, but it’s Sabre who’s doing my head in. His emotions range from anger to concern, demanding that I look for our girl and find her. To make her understand that she’s ours. I clench my fists, grounding myself as the rain trickles down my bare chest. I take a breath and stare out at the packhouse. The lone dancers and the soggy gigglers have retreated into the nearby snug, paying me little attention. There are a lot of strangers around, hundreds. I don’t know who she is. I don’t know her name.I tell myself that maybe she just left to get coffee, that any second I’ll see her walking down the hallway. But I know that I’m telling myself lies. I know that she’s gone, and she’s got no intention of coming back. Was she from this pack? Or maybe one from across the country? Sabre snarls at me and I push him away. The worst thing is, that in the pack house, there are too many smells criss crossing. Too many hundreds of wolfs have come through in the last day, and outside, the rain’s clearing any trace of her away. I slam my head back against the wall again.‘Hey,’ I hear the light, familiar steps of Kate as she approaches down the corridor, coffee in hand. ‘You look like you’ve lost something?’ She frowns down at me. The first rays of light are just touching the windows, turning the pink. I shake my head, I can’t even begin to explain it. She was my mate. I know that. But I didn’t claim her, didn’t find out anything about her. But that had been her choice, hadn’t it? She hadn’t wanted to talk. Damn but it felt so good to be near her.‘Yeah,’ my voice is hoarse, husky from a lack of sleep and Kate raises a brow.‘We figured you’d gone to get an early night,’ she frowns, ‘but…looking at the state of you…?’‘Long night,’ I reply and draw a breath that stings, aching all the way through my chest to the pit of my stomach.‘You going to be okay, Kylar?’‘Sure,’ I shrug and try and shake off the dark cloud that I feel followed me inside. But it’s not going to be that easy. I met my mate, and I let her slip through my fingers. Worse…she found it so easy to leave me. I’ve never been a big romantic, but part of me always thought there might be a woman out there, whose wolf would complete my own. Turns out that there is, and she wants nothing to do with me.Ava - Present DayHe’s just as gorgeous as I remember him. Maybe even more. He fills up all the space in the doorway, blocking out the light. I can’t breathe and I’m scrambling, desperate for something to say. I’m a professional damnit. I’m a doctor, and a Mother and as much as I try to cling to my identity. I’m thrown back to the night that we met. Mate, he growled and heat hits like a bucket of scalding water. Washing over me like a wave. I open my mouth. I’m lost for words as I turn and do the only thing I can. I run. I retreat back through the cabin, realising too late that there’s no exit. I’m not going to crawl through a window. I might crawl through a window!The heavy tread of his footsteps follow me. Echoing on the bare floor boards. Unless I really do jump through a window, I’m trapped. Grown woman, I tell myself. I’m a grown woman. I need something to excuse my behaviour so I grab my empty coffee mug and spin back around to face him. ‘Empty!’ I announce and shake it, littl
With the Wolf Pack village falling away behind me. I slam off the music, the sexy throb of the song doesn’t really suit my mood. I’m panicking. I can feel it in the tightness of my chest, my racing heart and sweaty palms. Midnight Forest is going to be my home. I know that. I can feel it in my bones, in my soul. But how can I live there, with him?Unless I leave? The idea sees me slow the car down, foot lifting from the peddle. I can’t breathe. I’ve been away from other werewolves for so long, I don’t want to give that up. I stop the car, leaning my head on the wheel. I want to raise my kids with other wolves. I want them to know their heritage.I don’t want them to know their father. A small voice whispers, why not? I grip the wheel and set off again. I can’t be late to collect them from kindergartenl. The village is a good thirty minute drive down country lanes until I reach the nearest human town. I pull up, scrambling out of my car, slamming the door behind me.My boys are stan
AvaHow I’m going to keep the existence of my twins a secret, I don’t know. It’s impossible, I realize as I drive back to the village. So I can’t. At some point he’ll realize that I have children. The village isn’t that big and it’s not like I can hide from him. I can’t shake off the memory of that Alpha energy either. So chances are, he’s important to Midnight Forest Pack. I pull up outside the house the Elders put aside for us. It’s cute, with three bedrooms upstairs and an open plan downstairs. I know the second I walk through the door, I’ll be tripping over the boys' toys. I’ll feel compelled to tidy up, so I turn straight for the Medical Centre instead. The house will have to wait. I’m still wearing my skinny jeans and a worker’s shirt over a long white vest. I roll the sleeves up, climbing back up the steps to the cabin, taking note of all the cobwebs that cover the overhang. I grimace, I’m not the biggest fan of spiders, but I’ll have to take a broom to that at some point so
KylarAva. After all this time, I finally have her name. I watch her vanish through the door into the back offices of the medical center. It takes all of my willpower to stay and not follow her. Sabre is growling at me, and I shut him down. She's afraid of me. She flinched when I reached towards her. Dr Ava Green is doing a good job acting confident and she’s brave enough to challenge me. But she’s afraid.I push Sabre away more firmly, kicking myself as I hear Ava moving around in the far office. My feet are burning, eager to follow her. I don’t want to let her out of my sight again. But I’m a grown man, and I could kick myself for my behavior this morning.Seeing her for the first time in all these years, was an assault to the senses. Elder Marie asked me to help the new Healer set up in the rundown medical center. I’m between mercenary assignments at the moment, enjoying my downtime back at the Village. Seeing my niece and nephew, Kate’s kids. I never imagined that I’d walk thr
KylarLuca is a pain in the ass. He’s been a pain in my ass my whole life. He’s a best friend that’s more like a brother and he’s saved me more times than I can count. I’d lay down my life for him, in an instant. But for the first time in my life, I want to punch him out. I want to rip his throat out and I’m glaring at him. Sabre’s growling, low and throaty hackles raised. Luca’s and Tandy are staring at me in shock. Tandy reaches out, touching the back of my arm and I flinch away as if she’s burnt me. ‘Woah, Kylar…’ her voice is soft, the calm but firm tone she uses when someone’s had too much to drink. But everyone in the pack knows better than to mess with Tandy, her wolf is bigger than most and her bite is one of the worst. She could have been a part of our mercenary unit, but insists she’d miss being home. I push away from the bar and pace across to the pool table, buying myself time to calm down. I take a drink. Focusing all my attention on not snapping the plastic bottle
Ava - TuesdayI feel like I’ve only slept a few hours, after passing out last night I was up early to start clearing through the storage cupboard in the middle of the two medical rooms. They each have a door that opens into it, but it only has a small window and the light is broken. I take a picture of the jumbled mess to send to Lou. She’d be horrified at the chaos. After an hour of pawing through boxes in the half light I give up and start throwing them into the medical room that I’m going to take as my own. The one that connects to the back office. The out of date boxes skid across the floor before I hear laughter. Nervous, I straighten up, dusting off my knees and carry an armful of old bandages out into the medi-room. There’s a tall man standing in the middle, grinning at me.‘You’re a good shot,’ he smiles. In one hand he’s holding a coffee cup, his free hand rubs across his cheek. I blink at him, taking in his dark hair and bright blue eyes. ‘I didn’t hit you, did I?’ I gr
AvaI breathe him in and he moves. He kisses me, soft and slow. Lips lingering over my own. Our breath mingles with tantalising slowness and my body is hyper aware of the touch of his hands against my waist. His fingers are curled around me, holding me in place. Pulling my hips towards him as he slants his mouth over mine. Our tongues tangle. I know that I should turn and run, but I just can’t make myself do it. He tastes better than I remember and I’m losing my mind. He teases me, seductive as he increases the pressure and strokes his tongue against my own. I’m lost. Sparks race through my body from the points that we touch, lips, tongues and mouth. My chest and belly pressed against his. Our hips and thighs nudge together as my hands hang limp at my sides. The loose plaid shirt half-falling down my arm. I’m kissing him back before I know it. Pressing myself against him. I can feel his skin burning against my own, the touch of his wolf aura against Seren. She’s whining with delig
KylarI walk down the path, back through the village. Moving away from anyone else I see on the path. For a Wednesday night it’s pretty busy. But I’m not fit for company. She kissed me back. I damn well know that she kissed me back.My blood is pounding through my veins. My vision is narrowed, focused on the raging beat of my heart and the tightness in my chest. I’m frustrated, pent up and I either need to fight, fuck or run. So I aim for the pack house and then take a right into the forest. I left my shirt back at the Medical Centre so it’s just my boots and pants that get thrown down to the side. I shift and let Sabre take over. He wants to run back to her. I refuse him. I’m not going back to be rejected again. She kissed me back! She wanted it as much as I did. Where do I keep going on with Ava? I run, with my thoughts a mess. A large grey wolf that towers over the others in the pack. I can’t help but circle back to the medical centre and the house on the edge of the village, th