*Jared*Since I snuck into her room a few nights ago, I couldn’t get Claire out of my head.At the time, it felt like if I didn’t do something soon, I wouldn’t be able to get her out of my mind regardless. Breaking into her room in the middle of the night seemed like the best option. I didn’t exactly want her to know about the strange effect she had on me. I still didn’t understand it myself.Her scent was unique and I noticed that the first time I met her, I thought, perhaps she wasn’t our kind. It could be explained if she was cursed. However, it was more than that.She was addictive to me. That was admittedly part of the problem. I didn’t know very much about the girl, so I could make no educated guesses as to why her scent spoke to me the way it did.I started looking into her past but with only a name to go after, it wasn’t easy. Avery briefly mentioned that her pack was destroyed, so I asked Kent to look into packs that had been eradicated over a decade ago.No one could add any
*Claire*Screw him. Screw him and his stupid alpha orders.I was grateful to be a member of Moonstone, but that didn’t mean that I had to like being forced to follow the jerkface’s commands. I felt tears sting the backs of my eyes as I replayed the last several minutes in my mind.For a short moment, it felt like we were opening up to each other, that he was actually taking a genuine interest in who I was. I should’ve known better than to let myself think that even for a moment. I should’ve known from the beginning that he was just asking about my past in order to snoop on me.He still didn’t trust me, even after everything we’d been through and the efforts I made to be part of the pack. Just like the vast majority of the Moonstone pack, no matter how hard I tried.I took a few cleansing breaths to calm my anger. I should’ve known better that the jerkface wasn’t here today to be my friend. I should’ve known this wasn’t something new.Yes, it had been a few weeks since I was named an o
*Jared*A few days have passed since I confronted Claire about the attack on her pack. I regretted the way I went about it, thinking that I should have stayed on the gentler approach that I had been going for. Instead, I let her get under my skin the way she tended to, and I snapped.It would be difficult to get anything out of her at this point. She would likely be wary of me for a while.After spending a few hours in my office, catching up on some boring paperwork stuff, I found that I couldn’t sleep and decided to take a walk. Patrolling couldn’t hurt, and it was a way for me to clear my head. I walked beneath the moon. It would be full in just a few short days. I wandered along the perimeter of the compound, my thoughts on the newest member of our pack.The longer she was here with us, the more puzzling she became. I thought back to the genuine anger that flashed in her sky-like eyes when I demanded to know what happened to her pack. She had started to open up to me. She was letti
*Claire*I was immediately regretting my decision to track Jared down after our little spat by the lake, but a part of me felt like I had no choice.This was the last thing I wanted to have to happen. The training sessions were going so well, but it was enough. I had only gotten to do a handful of them before Jared caught us. I was just starting to understand how to hold my own, not just against someone in their human form, but in their wolf form as well.Kent was a patient and firm teacher, which is exactly what someone like me needed. I obviously didn’t have my wolf to rely on for strength, so Kent had to even be gentle with me while we sparred.I didn’t want it to end when I was just starting to get better at it.I was going to find Jared and make sure that he would still allow Kent and me to train together. I also needed to make sure that Jared didn’t punish Kent for training me. If anyone was going to be punished, it was going to have to be me, although I wasn’t going to be punis
The man was unconscious now. The guard was still yelling at the other wolves, demanding an explanation.He might not have much time left.I stepped in. “We need to get him to the infirmary,” I said, straightening and projecting my voice.No one moved. They all just gaped at me for one long second. Even the wolves seemed unsure of what to do.I gritted my teeth. “Now!” I snapped as I turned and sprinted in the direction of the infirmary. I looked over my shoulder to see that they were following me closely. I ran as fast as I could, knowing that they probably knew the way to the infirmary themselves, but they followed me anyway.“Claire!”I looked toward the source of the voice. Avery was running toward me. I could see a pale blue nightgown peeking out from beneath her thick healing outfit as she approached us quickly. She ran alongside us, her wide green eyes going from the wolves to me.“What happened?” she nearly squeaked as we ran. Her eyes swept over me quickly. “Are you alright? Y
I pulled my hand out of Jared’s so fast that I nearly popped my shoulder at the quick movement. Although, I didn’t know why I was so affected by the sudden appearance of the redhead. There was no denying that Amanda was intimidating with her slim, tall figure and her flaming red hair that despite being wavy, never looked unkempt or tangled. I knew girls who had wavy hair and hated it because it was difficult to maintain. Amanda looked like she could tame anything, and that easily included wavy hair. Even now, it was the middle of the night and she looked like a fire goddess. She was wearing a blood-red nightgown with a black wrap over it. Her bright wavy hair was loose and wild, but still managed to tumble over her shoulders in neat waves. Her eyes were the scariest at the moment. They were almost orange in the dim lighting of the empty recovery room like they were filled with tiny flames. She literally looked like she wanted to burn a hole through my head, and I wasn’t completely c
*Claire*I sighed as I pushed my food around on my plate. I regretted not grabbing any vegetables, but I wasn’t very good at eating them anyway. Avery usually forced me to grab a side of veggies when we ate together, but this evening, she was working late at the infirmary.I offered to help her since she had fallen behind on some boring inventory-type stuff, but she insisted I go ahead and have dinner without her. She was too sharp and observant and noticed that I barely ate that day. She knew all she had to do was refuse my help, and I would be forced to go to dinner without her.She didn’t seem to realize that if she didn’t eat with me, I was eating alone.I looked over where Kent and the other higher-ups tended to sit during meals. I hadn’t seen the Gamma since we got caught during our training session by Jared. I couldn’t help but be concerned for my new friend.Jared had said Kent and I would still be allowed to train together, but I should have also made sure that the Alpha woul
“I thought you hated me,” I murmured in a heated whisper.Jared just stared down at me, his golden eyes giving nothing away. His large hand came up to cup the side of my face, his breath hot against my skin as he lowered his head toward me.I tried to push him away, to struggle beneath him, but my body wasn’t my own. It wouldn’t obey me. I just lay there helplessly, waiting anxiously for what he was about to do.Jared sat up suddenly and threw his head back, howling deeply, thick tufts of fur growing on his neck and the sides of his face.“What—” I gasped.My eyelids flew open.Just a dream.I blew out a breath, but it immediately got caught in my throat at the commotion outside my bedroom window. Deep haunting howls shook the thin walls of my room and I jumped out of bed, running to the window to see dozens of Moonstone members running.Was this some kind of fire alarm or something?I looked around wildly. No smoke, which was a good sign.I grabbed a thin jacket to throw over my shou