AliceHow did this mess happen?That's what I asked myself after all the toner ink from the printer fell on me."Oh, my Goddess! I can't believe there are people so dumb until I saw what you did. I told you toner shouldn't be shaken," Rina said, and I held back a rude response.Minutes earlier, I had returned to the office and tried to print. I wanted to understand the printing system because I had never used it before in my life, and it felt like something surprisingly new. The problem was that nothing could print, so I struggled a bit with the printer until I had to call Rina.I told her I didn't understand why the sheet wouldn't print, then she asked me if I had checked the toner. Having no idea what it was, she proceeded to explain to me in a very condescending manner. She was specific in saying that it wiggled before setting and taught me how to set it so it wouldn't bother anyone else and now that this had happened, she was coming out with this nonsense."But you had told me—""

JacksonBella's plan had been a resounding failure.Just seeing the way Alice was ignoring the signs that I was trying to be romantic was laughable. I couldn't believe I was in this situation, but maybe that was what I was gaining by playing along with my sister."She's going to love it, and she'll understand as soon as she sees it."That was what Bella had said, but there Alice and I stood in the greenhouse, feeling like the plan had blown up in my face in a way I didn't see coming. If my best friend were here, she'd be laughing her head off at my failed efforts.I had to be patient and pray that the Goddess would bless me with the presence of Alice's she-wolf so she could recognize me. I just had to prove to her that I was not like the person who rejected her, the one who dared to shatter her heart in the worst way.Still listening to the details of the medical examination made me want to burn it all down, but that was not the time to spill out my rage. On the contrary, it was an oc

JacksonSomething in Alice changed as she listened to the conversation.It was clear to everyone in the room when we felt her heart racing, but I couldn't help her until the council was over or she felt extremely ill. So I did the only thing I could do while paying attention to the counselor's response.I grabbed her hand away, and she squeezed it tightly."You can't go by hearsay," said Councilor Clark, who was sympathetic to some old and archaic customs and from whom I was not surprised by that answer. "You have to have evidence for that.""He has a sorceress controlling the herd with him," my Beta said right away, and that surprised the man. "According to reports, the sorceress not only does what she wants, but she has acted harshly with pack members, and they have given public demonstrations of chastisement. And while we know that these practices should be reviewed internally, the Southern Pack signed an agreement not to perpetuate this kind of torture, because that's what they ar

JacksonThe question was sincere.I didn't want to beat around the bush with her too much, and I wanted to know what I really had to go by regarding how she saw the future. I hadn't stopped to think about it until that moment, when she was objective in thinking about her needs.Whether I liked to admit it or not, I was thinking about what she needed based on her trauma and not what she genuinely wanted.I had to be honest and set the record straight."I don't know," she said, her voice serious. "The truth is, I don't know. Part of me wants to be alone because the trust you have to put into believing in someone is great. I took it for granted and ended up broken both physically and mentally. And when there are parts of you that are broken, you're never the same again, so that's why I don't know; if that happens, which I doubt, I'll see what I could do in that case, but the first thing I have to make sure of is that this man is a good person."Her words were harsh, but those last ones s

AliceThe loneliness in the office was hitting me in a way I didn't know how to explain.Two days ago, the Alpha and Beta went with part of the Pack Council to an emergency meeting at the Species Council to be held in the Central Pack. I knew very well the reason: Stefan.I had been nervous at the thought of being asked to go as part of my personal assistant duties. I was so nervous that Bella noticed it and questioned me about it, but I just said I was remembering things from the past and that I needed space to get over it. Something she respected, but it made her look at me with some suspicion.And I realized that she was too perceptive for her own good.I didn't want to lie to anyone, much less the Alpha, but I was preparing for it in case she told me I should go; only that indication never came, if even as an invitation.The night before he left for Central Pack, Jackson continued our routine of preparing dinner together and gave me precise directions on all the chores I was to do