The brutal whippings had ended after twenty agonizing minutes when the men finally begged for mercy. It seemed their pain was stronger than their pride. Lio had told the wolves that no one was allowed to heal them. He said, and I quote, ‘anyone caught healing them will suffer the same punishment.’ I was stunned by what Lio had done. I knew Lio had to be ruthless sometimes as the pack leader, but it still made me see him in a different light. I sat down on the couch in the basement while Lio took a shower. He invited me to join him but I refused. I couldn’t look at him without my mind replaying the memories of him beating a man until the white meat was torn. It may be petty to the others, maybe even unfair, but I wasn’t used to seeing anything like that. They couldn’t expect me to pretend as if everything was fine. I picked up the remote from the empty spot next to me and turned on the TV. When the picture showed, I could see that it was on the history channel. It wasn’t my k

It was a long, tension filled drive to my parent’s house. They lived about two hours away in a city called Maldaek. Their house was built new from the ground up in a small suburban community by the name of Sun Ridge. Lio and I sat in the car in my parent’s driveway with the engine off for a moment. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary outside of the house. The sprinklers were on. The neighbors were out walking their dogs; jogging and all. It was peaceful out here. I looked over at Lio to see that he had already been looking at me. “Nothing looks distressing out here, ready to go in?” He asked. I slowly nodded before opening my car door and getting out. Lio got out right after I did, activating the alarm on his key ring. Before we could get to the door and ring the bell, the door opened. My mom stood in the doorway holding the screen door open with a faint smile. She must’ve been looking out for us. Lio gave his best bright smile, but hers didn’t change. “Good morning, come

The next day, I received a call from Iericho. He wanted to meet up with Lio and I to make amends. I wasn’t too sure about the whole thing, but when he spoke to Lio on the phone without yelling, things seemed promising. We went to Lio’s place not long after the phone call and it was at that point I became suspicious. Lio’s pack gathered in the depths of the forest. Lio sat upon the large throne carved from old oak trees that I’d seen during the brutal punishment of a few of the new wolves. Naremi took me towards the throne but she wasn’t talking to me as much as she normally would. “Naremi I’m tired of all of this secrecy. What’s really going on right now?” I watched a smile form on her red glossed lips. “When aren’t you tired of our secrecy?” She said laughing. “You really don’t know about anything that’s happening, do you?” I gave her a blank expression. “If I knew I wouldn’t be so worried.” I said. Naremi raised an eyebrow at me. “I doubt that honey, but if

July introduced itself with sunny mornings, rainy evenings, and thunderstorms most nights. Iericho and I hadn’t seen much of each other since the tournament, but he did call and check up on me every now and then. Since my fate had been slammed into my face time and time again, I finally decided to accept it. If any more evidence of being Lio’s Teman Sejiwa appeared, I was going to deliberately blind myself. The pack’s business wasn’t the only big part of my life now. Officer Rollards sat on the opposite end of my couch now, discussing the violent break-in that took place two months ago. This was now harassment in my eyes. Seeing as how there was no need for further investigation. I was convinced this officer had suspicions about something and was doing this without his superior’s approval. Judging by his mood I could tell that he’d found something out. It was late morning and I was still in my pajamas; cotton shorts with frog prints and a plain, white tank top. I’d fixed Officer R

I wasn’t sure how long my stay at Lio’s house had been, but I was sure it had been more than just a few days. Officer Rollards may not have the proof he needs to keep Lio locked up for good along with the wereleopard, but I was still feeling uneasy about him showing up at my house. There’s no telling what he could walk in on next time. My stomach was growling so loud I was fully confident that the entire house could hear it. I’d just taken a shower and put on a solid blue nightgown. All I wanted now was a snack. I went upstairs to the kitchen and searched through the fridge for something that would quiet the monster in my stomach. There was a lot to choose from but not much I wouldn’t have to cook, and I wanted something quick. While I made my decision, I heard someone walk into the kitchen and sit at the large wooden table. I leaned back from behind the fridge door to see who it was, and Lisette sat there looking at me with her usual smug smile. I tried not to hate her but she