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~Gemma~ It was Thursday, or day three of the Luna Trials. I’d be lying if I said shit was easy. I could hardly stand to be at the packhouse. I guess I really had no gripes with the candidates. After all, they were fucking invited. It was their mental musings, inner dialogs and feelings that wore at my damn nerves. I stayed away as much as I could without Alpha Devlin riding my case and generally acting like a whiny punk-ass. Today, I was expected to attend dinner. Great! I picked out an appropriate outfit. It was early September, still warm but the chill in the evening air reminded you Fall lurked around the corner. I loved Fall anyway. I picked out a skirt and a simple black top to go with it, bring down the dressy factor to casual. With the influx of visitors, Alpha Devlin had little time to spend hovering over me. Probably my only fucking perk of the whole ordeal. A knock at my door saved me from my wandering mind. I opened it. “Fuck, Gemma! Did you even check before opening th
~Gemma~ I hated the dress. Rather, I hated what the dress might imply. Under no circumstances was I dressing up for his benefit. If it all went to shit, skin contact with Mason may be my only saving grace. A fist thudded on my door. “Yo, Gems! You ready?" Mason called out. Yikes! It was now or never. I stepped out into the hall, caught off-guard by his spiffy outfit. “Wow! You clean up nice. Do you normally dress up for these things?” His lips quirked up on one side. “No. And I normally do not get the benefit of having you as a date.” “Hmm.” I grabbed his hand. “I hope you know I appreciate our friendship. Sorry I’ve been preoccupied lately. You deserve more than what I have been giving.” I wound my arm though his. “Nah! All the guys are jealous of me as it is.” He kissed my hand. When we entered the grand dining hall, I immediately tugged Mason in Sammie’s direction. Just as promised, she saved us two seats. We were near the far end of the table, giving Alpha Devlin and his c
~Gemma~ I had been careless. I realized that. I allowed Alpha Devlin to use his alpha tone on me with success. Epic personal failure! I owned up to that shit. I pretended to sleep as I heard them argue. “She had some fucking valid points, Dev!” Tyson muttered. “I know. Fuck! What am I going to do? I can’t keep her asleep forever.” Alpha Devlin grumbled. I sat up, done with their games. “You got that right!” Tyson rushed me. I waived a hand and he fell to the ground. K.O.! Alpha Devlin glared at me. “Sleep!” I chuckled. “So damn cute! Yeah. That won’t be working again.” I waived a hand at him. I sent a mental command for him to sleep, swift, furious. I added a touch of dark to the command for his stubborn ass. He went down immediately. Fuck! They were going to wake P-I-S-S-E-D. I had little time! Hours at most! I dove under my bed and grabbed Fat Kitty. I put him into his carrier. I grabbed a large bag and tossed shit in. I made sure to grab food and water for my precious.
~Gemma~ “I’m losing my damn mind!” I clutched my midsection and rocked myself on the floor of Rina’s condo. “The rumors were true! The physical and mental separation is a bitch! Stupid mate bond!” I dragged myself to the bathroom and vomitted. “This is the worst!” I brushed my teeth. “Oh, honey. Come here.” Irina rubbed my temples, chanting softly. “Omigosh! Yes. I can hear myself think again. Thanks, babe.” “Don’t get comfortable. It won’t hold for long.” She warned. “It’s so unfair! Why is a simple life in a quiet town out of my reach?” “Because we’re witches. Because you chose to affiliate with the wolves. Because…” I covered my ears. “Okay! I get the picture. But guess what fucks with my mind the most? I wonder, like all the damn time, if I never went to live with Gran and I never met Devlin, would the mate bond still have formed? I’m a witch! I deserve a get out of jail free card or some shit.” Irina shrugged. “I don’t have the answers you are desperately seeking. I doubt
~Gemma~ “Well, alpha. I’m assuming it’s natural due to the peculiarity of it. I met a wolf with white hair once. And I don’t mean that pastel, Elsa from Frozen weird look. I’m talking Crayola white.” “Am I supposed to know what any of that means?” His brow rose, an air of superiority dancing around him. Surprise, surprise. Another alpha but there’s nothing new. Was it an inborn characteristic flaw for them? Their damning arrogance? “Not up-to-date on your Disney movies, alpha? What a shame. I’m a fan of the classics myself.” His warring emotions danced over my skin. “Am I frustrating you? I promise I won’t be offended if you take your leave.” I took a sip of my fruity, alcoholic beverage and reclined further into my lounger. “If my company is unwelcome, perhaps I will take the boy and go.” He lounged on the other chair, looking comfortable and confident. And his patience with me unraveled by the minute. No doubt the handsome alpha usually commanded more attention from the opposi
~Gemma~ “And you will escort Rina home? Leave guards with her until we are sure there is no threat to her?” I asked, trying to make sense of Alpha Zander’s offer. Rina’s face was set in a stubborn mask. Not good. “I don’t need protection from a wolf. I live in a building that has proper protections in place, magical wards and all that.” “Do you plan on staying inside 24/7? What about when you leave the building?” I helpfully pointed out. She slumped back in her chair. I understood. Truth often sucked. We sat inside a nearby restaurant, mainly to resolve my hanger. Rina poked at her salad. I devoured my burger with zeal. I stole fries from the alpha's plate whenever he looked away. Alpha Zander had his son taken away to safety. Rina and I negotiated with the wolf. Between her moody butt, my stubborn ass, and the arrogant alpha, shit got messy. “We don’t need them!” Irina hissed. “Think hard and you will remember the start of your troubles began with them! Cut them out of our live
~Gemma~ Botched it! Forget the wolves, Irina proved to be the biggest obstacle. Why did that surprise me? “Please, Irina, do this for me. This is my fault! Let me fix it. This stalker, or whatever the hell the situation is, doesn’t want you. They have a bone to pick with me. I will go with this new alpha for now, until it doesn’t suit my purposes anymore. Then, I will see myself right the fuck out of here. And you will be safe.” I hugged her. “There is no harm in playing it safe. We have a lot at stake now. Bigger picture, remember?” “Fine! The stuff I do for love! I am madly in love with you. You know that, right?” She said, lips pressed into a hard line. “Of course.” I shrugged a single shoulder. “How could you not be?” I grasped her hands in mine, saying loud enough for all to hear. “Just promise me you won’t maim or otherwise kill Thing 1 and Thing 2?” At the two guard’s blank expressions, I continued. “No? Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum?” “I think we can handle a single witch o
~Gemma~ We rolled up to the mansion just as the first hint of night covered the sky. I yawned, so ready to put this day behind me. I stepped out of the vehicle and stretched. My eyes felt heavy. My bones felt heavy. Probably from the exhausting weight of my existence. Just my presence endangered Rina and her precious bundle. And now I had dragged Alpha Zander into my mess as well. The Moon Tide's mansion was huge, gaudy, exorbitant. The porch welcomed us with its tall columns and heavy, wooden double-doors. I was told only select pack members lived here, mainly the Beta and family and Gamma and family, a security team, and the household workers. The pack owned the condo buildings flanking the mansion. Most of the pack resided there. Alpha Zander took my elbow and steered me toward the front door. “What troubling thoughts are running through your head, witch?” “Nice digs.” I commented, intent on not answering him. He may be alpha and I may technically be his prisoner, but he didn