“Uh… I guess I should let you know that, of all the things Octavia taught me, dancing wasn’t among them.” Corinne murmured as Hunter led her to the dance floor, in that embarrassed manner that, for some incomprehensible reason, was very adorable to him.
“It’s fine. I think I can handle this for both of us.” he assured, trying to remain cool as they finally reached the center of the garden, which had been made into a dance floor, and, under the gaze of all the other couples, he pulled her even closer, holding her by the waist until that addictive smell was surrounding him on all sides “Relax.” he instructed her, a little uncomfortable because her eyes were turned downward the entire time, focused on their feet and preventing Hunter from seeing her completely “This song doesn't get much faster than that. Just try to imitate my movements… Tak
“Well…” she bit her lip, clearly hesitant “No, nothing very concrete, other than the fact that you were only being attacked by wolves and we were always fighting shifters of the most diverse races possible. But, Isabelle told me the same thing as you earlier. I’m probably starting to see too many things where there really isn’t anything.” Corinne shook her head and Hunter got the distinct impression that she hadn't let go of that concern, as she was trying to make it seem like "I... Uh... I was thinking... You wouldn't have salt, sage and anise somewhere in the pantry, would you?" they looked at each other for a second, in silence, until she blushed, embarrassed “Sorry, that sounded weird. Forget I said that. It was not my intention to arouse your distrust again…”“No, it’s okay.” he interrupted her “If you want this to m
Corinne was about to do something really stupid. Stupid and unnecessary, really. In the piercing silence of that early morning, while all the wolves in the pack were sleeping soundly after enjoying the party to the fullest, she should have been doing the same, instead of leaving the house's pantry as quietly as possible, carrying all the salt with her, anise, mint and other spices you managed to find. Her memory was no longer so fresh about the things she had once learned, but, with luck, that specific form of protection she still remembered. Hell, should she really do this? She had already achieved the impossible by Hunter no longer hating her or considering her a threat anymore. Why risk all that if someone caught her doing something related to… Witchcraft? However, if she really was right in her suspicions… No
“Your love and dedication to your pack are all that matters. I think, as long as you are taking good care of them, they will reciprocate by wishing you happiness, don’t you think?” “Life is not a fairytale. If you think I'm a snob and judge everything I see, then you should know my father's right-hand men and the swans that surrounded me growing up.” Penelope grumbled “I know what they're going to think and what they're going to say. They don't care about my happiness. They want an Alpha that meets their expectations and a wolf mate is certainly not among them.” “Well… You changed your mind a little after you got to know me better, didn’t you? Maybe they may be difficult at first, but, over time, when they realize that Aiden is very different from what they would expect of a wolf and that his mating will not interfere with his qualities as a leader, then they
“What are you doing?” Hunter asked behind her, in a confused tone, and Corinne felt like all her blood had dried up, so weak and lifeless her limbs felt, when she realized the trouble she had just gotten herself into “Corinne?” he called her again, as he approached “Why are you here at this time…? Is that… Salt?” “I…” swallowing hard, she stood up quickly, almost bumping her head against his chin in the process “Sorry, I… I was…” she tried to search her mind for a plausible explanation for what Hunter was seeing, but when he bent down close to her so he could open the bag and dip his hand between the salt and the petals as if to make sure his hunch was right, Corinne knew there was no point in trying to delay the inevitable “I was… Trying to protect the house. ” “With… Salt, herbs and flowers?” Hunter raised an eyebrow, probably thinking she had lost her mind
“You should have kept that to yourself.” Corinne laughed. “I learned to do that after that day. But, I learned a valuable lesson from that punishment, which had nothing to do with the punishment or the fact that my mother was angry that I doubted the elders' stories. That day I realized that all these wolves need something to lean on, in difficult times. Something, or someone, in whom they can place their hopes, other than a being of flesh and blood like me. So I never made the mistake of saying something so disrespectful out loud again.” “That makes it sound like you still think that way, you know.” Corinne pointed out, fascinated by how well she could imagine a little Hunter, questioning the pillars of his kind's story with that same firm expression he had as an adult. “Maybe I think…” he grumbled, annoyed “I’v
Hunter was starting to get used to the fact that, whenever something out of the ordinary happened in his house, Corinne was involved with it in some way. So when he smelled something burning as he was passing by the kitchen after yet another board meeting, he couldn't even feel surprised when, as soon as he arrived at the kitchen entrance, his eyes met his wife's standing in front of the stove, whimpering something unintelligible to himself as he banged a wooden spoon against the metal as if he wanted to kill the pan that was spitting smoke all over the place, even with the fire already turned off. “What’s easy about this, Penelope…?” was the only thing he could understand as she grumbled, grabbing an oven mitt to take the pan off the stove. “Did the swan tell you to do this?” Hunter asked and, perhaps because the kitchen was so clogged with smoke that she couldn't smell it, Corinne gasped with a start and dropped the pan on the floor in fright, spilling the thick, almost caked black
Once, Corinne had listened to her little sister Nicole talk for hours about how she and other girls helped one of their friends come out to the boy she was in love with, even not knowing whether he was her fated mate or not. That day, Corinne had tried her best to pay attention to every word and understand the excitement her sister was feeling about the situation, but, frankly, she had never been successful. Not until that moment. For the first time in her life, Corinne was not camouflaged among bushes and tall grass to attack an enemy, but rather to make sure everything would go well with Penelope's plan to declare herself. And, Gosh, now she understood why Nicole was so happy for her friend. It wasn't about the situation itself or seeing if the plan worked or not. It was for the simple pleasure of seeing her friend happy. Know she had been part of it. It probably took Corinne so long to realize this because… Well, she never had many friends, anyway. And, as much as Penelope could
“What the fuck are you doing?!” Hunter gasped, while all Corinne cared to do was look in the direction of where Aiden was now spinning Penelope in the air full of joy, relieved to realize that she hadn't gotten in their way, even though she was still biting her own hand “Stop biting yourself!” he continued demanding, approaching her as if willing to push her hand away, but Corinne soon stopped him, sitting down in the garden dirt while ripping her fangs out of her flesh “What the fuck were you thinking?!” Hunter gasped, in a mix of terror and outrage, as if that were the worst scene he could have seen that day. “Haven't you ever had to bite something to stop yourself from screaming in pain or something, so you wouldn't be discovered on a battlefield after being wounded? Sometimes the only thing you have around is your own arm..." Corinne explained, thinking it was obvious, but the incredulous expression o