Brigette does not want a mate, and her plan of abandoning their supernatural world is threatened once she discovers she is mated to an Alpha. As her family celebrates the good news, and as her newly-found mate orders her to leave with him, Brigette can't decide whether to attempt an escape or power through an unwanted life as a Luna.
Part 1
I'm from a lost place. A place that seems to be nothing more than a small mountain town, nestled in the forest and kept from the world. People don't come around here, and that's how we like it. We are free to be ourselves that way.
I grew up in the trees. We have our houses and stores and parks and other things that humans have grown accustomed to, but we spend most of our time outside, in the breeze and under the stars. That's one thing I'll regret leaving behind-the magic of the mountain night sky. My mother says that in the cities you can't see a thing, only darkness.
But sometimes even the mountain night sky doesn't show enough. I want to see everything. Every star and planet and galaxy-everything that may or may not be-but I had to give up on that dream as I grew up. So I'll settle for the world. I'll hike every mountain range and walk along every beach; I'll get lost in towering cities and lay in flowering fields on rolling hills. I want the freedoms that a human girl my age would have.
My world, well, it has many ways of tying one down.
My mother ignores me when I talk about traveling and adventuring. She says true happiness is in the family-the pack.
She says a lot of things regarding the way I should live my life. My father doesn't say so much. He knows of my ambitions but is far too busy with his position to waste precious family time arguing. As our Alpha's Beta, he's gone early in the morning and doesn't get back till late at night. I thought that maybe it bothered my mother as much as it bothers me, but she's proud to be mated to a Beta.
She only hopes that I get so lucky.
"But if my mate is a Beta, I'll have to leave for-for forever," I counter.
My mother sits down at the table after preparing our dinner. She looks over her plate and picks up her fork. "You're right. I had to leave my pack for months, traveling around just to find my mate with the other girls of age, just as you'll have to now that we know your mate isn't here. Now, maybe if your father wasn't so important we could move to your mate's pack, but, well, things are how they are."
I poke around at my food and say, "You know I'm not doing that."
"Don't, Brigette. Don't start."
I swipe the long, black strands of hair from my face and sit back. My mother tries to ignore me, but she steals glances at my defiance. "I just think it's a waste. Going from pack to pack, possibly across the world just to see if some random guy is my mate. All of these beautiful places, but those girls don't see any of it. I don't even want-"
The sound of her fork hitting her plate cuts me off. She takes a breath. I close my lips, knowing that pushing her buttons won't get me anywhere.
"Where's Dad?" I ask. It's best to change the subject before she goes on a tangent about mates and how much they matter to us.
"You know where he is. I'm sure he'll come home as soon as he can."
It isn't until we've both finished eating that I hear the front door open. I glance to my mother from the table. She's cleaning up in the kitchen, but she stops and calls, "Dale?"
Dad appears from around the corner, his chest sinking as air pours out of him. He's tired-long day-but he always manages to come over and kiss the top of my head.
"I'll heat up your plate," Mom says.
He pulls out the chair beside me and sits down. "What took so long?" I ask.
"We have an Alpha visiting from another pack in a few days," he tells us. "We were finishing up some plans. Actually, the Alpha invited all of us for dinner when the visitors get here."
"Oh," my mother breathes, "how lovely. Please, send the Alpha our thanks."
My Dad glances to me as he says, "Yes, yes, I will." He frowns a little at my face. The last thing I want to do is attend some fancy dinner party for a bunch of high-standing men. "It's just one dinner," he tells me. "All you have to do is say hello, eat, and say thank you."
"How many hours?"
He shrugs. "No more than three."
My lips part. "Three?"
"Brigette, stop it," my mother says as she places my Dad's plate down in front of him. "You can see the Alpha's daughter again. You know how much she likes you."
Our Alpha's daughter is fourteen. All she likes talking about is her first shift nearing and then being able to find her mate. I can't understand why she's waiting for such things already. Her first shift is two years away and her mate at least another four. However, she loves to talk to me about mates because I'm able to find mine. Every time I see her, she asks if I've found him.
I give my Dad another look and he squeezes my shoulder reassuringly.
"I don't know, some Alpha is coming. I guess they get here tomorrow."
"Really? Sounds exciting."
I shake my head. "I have to go to a welcome dinner with my family. The only person I have to talk to is Amabell."
Lindsey and I walk through the forest toward the lake where we often hang out as the sun sets. There is a lovely view there of the sun falling behind the mountains. I had to get out of the house. My mother wouldn't stop rummaging through my closet for something for me to wear tomorrow night.
"Amabell isn't so bad," Lindsey says, trying to make me feel better. "Besides, how many people can say they've been in a room full of Alphas and Betas and Lunas? I don't know about you, but important people are so interesting. It's just exciting to be around them."
"It's less exciting when your Dad is one of them," I say.
"Well, I wish I could go to something like that. If anything, you know there's going to be good food."
We come up to the lake. A gentle fog has settled over the water in the distance, and it draws near as the last bits of color drain from the sky. There are a few fallen trees that we have made into seats by the water's edge. I lay on my back as Lindsey sits next to my head. We relax in the soft noise of the wakening forest around us, but it isn't long until Lindsey shifts beside me and asks, "What are you going to do? You know, out there alone?"
I peer up at her dropped face. "I've told you. I'm going to see the world. I going to swim in the Mediterranean Sea and climb through the Amazon jungle. I'm going to do everything."
"And how are you going to get to all those places? What about money and safety and your family?"
I slowly lift up as I say, "I'll figure it out. I have some money saved up, and safety isn't an issue when you're like us. I'll hitchhike, be a stowaway, sneak-"
"And your family?"
"What about them? They'll be here. My Dad will continue as our Beta and my mom will continue to enjoy it."
Lindsey peers to the side. "But you're their only child."
"Maybe I'll come back for a visit or two," I shrug. "They know that this is what I want. I'm sure it won't be a surprise."
"And your mate?"
"I don't have one."
"Not yet," she reminds me. "But you will."
I watch her sweet face. "I'll be gone before that happens. And trust me, I won't be nearing any pack territories while I'm off."
Lindsey sighs and grabs a pebble from the ground. She fiddles with it before tossing the thing into the water, making a plunking sound as it disappears. I too face the water. Only a faint glow from the sun is left above the mountains.
"We've been friends for a long time," she says.
"I know. You're the only person who gets me here. You're the only person that can see past the pack and mates and all of that."
Lindsey turns to me, swinging one of her legs over the tree trunk to the other side. "So what am I supposed to do when you just run away?"
I swallow. "Well, you have Timothy."
"Yeah, I know, but you're my best friend."
My shoulders drop. I think for a moment then say, "What about that time you said you'd come with me?"
"That was before I found Timothy, Brigette."
"Mates," I murmur. "Now do you see why I don't want one?"
"Hey, I love Timothy. I-I wouldn't give him back for anything."
"I know. We just want different things. You like having a mate. You like being a part of a pack, and I don't, so I have to do what's best for me."
Lindsey falls silent for a moment. "So when are you leaving then?"
"I don't know. Soon, I think. It's about time."
"Will-will you at least say goodbye before you do?"
I glance over, hating the sad look on her face. "Of course. You'll be the last person I see before I go, okay? And if-when I come back, you're the first person I'll look for."
Lindsey takes a breath. Her lips part but before she can speak, a presence from behind us steals her attention. She turns to the shadowed trees and softens. A grey wolf steadily emerges from the darkness. Timothy.
"Looks like your mate's come to bring you home," I say lightly, standing up.
She looks back at me. "He doesn't like when I'm out here too late."
"It's fine," I say. "Go on. I'm going to stay here for a little while longer."
"Are you sure? We can walk you back."
"I'm sure."
Lindsey smiles and makes her way to her mate's side. Her hand strokes the wolf's face in adoration. "Okay, I'll see you later then. And don't stay out too late."
"I won't," I assure her and watch as the two vanish between the trees, heading in the direction of the town's center.
My chest rises and falls as I look back to the lake, out at the water that's growing blacker by the minute. I could leave now if I wanted. I would be keeping my promise to Lindsey; she would have been the last person I've spoken to before escaping. If I left now I would also miss the dinner party that's looming over me like an exam or a doctor's appointment. However, I don't know how to get in and out of the house with both my parents home. I'd have to grab a few things.
The moon appears above me as grey clouds push out of the way. Moonlight shimmers against the water, giving me a peek into the beauty that's out there for me to see. Imagine the moonlight in Paris, over the Eiffel Tower, or the sunrise from a glacier in Greenland.
My eyes close as I picture all these magical places in my head.
I-I should probably go back-just for now. But I'll leave soon.
I promise myself that I'll leave soon.
This is the series of werewolf and romance stories. Book 1 The Girl With Lycan Blood My back ran into the wood door as he held my arms at my side, my breath heavy and my knees weak. "Say it." He demanded. I shook my head and tried to free myself from his strong hold, but I had no luck. "I said say it!" He shouted again. I looked him dead in the eye as his grip on my wrists tightened. "No." I shake my head slightly, praying he would let go. "Anna I said-" "I won't reject you!" Annalee Evens watched her pack burn to the ground after her parents, the Alpha and Luna, died in a rouge attack along with her brother and sister. The pack never truly healed, and the pain of loosing them ruined her. She will no longer stay there in her sorrows, she is going to leave, even if that means becoming rouge. But her journey is cut short when she meets her mate, the Alpha with a temper, and with secrets. Anna will not only discover things about her mate, but dangerous aspects of herself.
My back ran into the wood door as he held my arms at my side, my breath heavy and my knees weak. "Say it." He demanded. I shook my head and tried to free myself from his strong hold, but I had no luck. "I said say it!" He shouted again. I looked him dead in the eye as his grip on my wrists tightened. "No." I shake my head slightly, praying he would let go. "Anna I said-" "I won't reject you!" Annalee Evens watched her pack burn to the ground after her parents, the Alpha and Luna, died in a rouge attack along with her brother and sister. The pack never truly healed, and the pain of loosing them ruined her. She will no longer stay there in her sorrows, she is going to leave, even if that means becoming rouge. But her journey is cut short when she meets her mate, the Alpha with a temper, and with secrets. Anna will not only discover things about her mate, but dangerous aspects of herself.
Wrenley moves to Waindale, the place where her mother grew up and where her grandmother still lives. Between the pine trees and above the wet ground, she soon realizes that Waindale is anything but the perfect place she remembers it as. Dark things stalk the woods. Dark things are pulling her in. *** "I turn on the lamp that's sat on top of my dresser. The pink lampshade makes my room glow with a feminine warmth, and it shines through the glass of my window; a signal so he can find his way home. It's dark out there, so bone-chillingly dark that I nearly fear for him before realizing that he is the greatest danger in those woods."
Young werewolf, Evangeline, can do something no other can, hold communication with someone far beyond her realm. Always at her side, the Goddess of the moon has guided her through the toughest of times, but when the truth starts to bleed out, when an Alpha claims Evangeline as his own, and when the most dangerous come seeking revenge, Evangeline may have to face it all alone.
Eric's lips brush mine, a slow, light action that already has me hooked. A comforting warmth engulfs my body, spreading from limb to limb like wildfire. His sweet lips move delicately with my own, the caress of his lips softer than I could have imagined. It is over too soon as he drifts away. "Now was that so difficult?" Eric murmurs as I try to register what just happened. <> <> <> While trying to see the best in everyone, Isabella finds herself battling against her own mind. After an attack on her pack, she has to choose between her newly discovered Alpha mate and her beloved, younger sister. Her heart is in the palm of his hand--though she struggles to admit it--but that doesn't mean he won't crush it. It is a game of trust, and she cannot afford to lose.
Rae East has always cast herself off as a girl not worthy of a Mate. With a past of self-doubt and expectations of a hopeless future, her theory crumbles when she discovers she is mated to an Alpha. Not expecting anything from it, Rae finds herself in a confusing situation. Giving no clarity, her Alpha Mate brings her back to his pack with no purpose. She sinks into herself, lost, alone, and in pain. With a Mate who has no interest in her whatsoever, Rae struggles to find her purpose in the pack and in her own world. Not knowing if she has a future with the Alpha she can't help but want, Rae must search elsewhere for happiness like she had once planned. But with a taste of the bond she can't help but share, it becomes difficult to move on from the Alpha who holds her heart captive.
On the day of their wedding anniversary, Joshua's mistress drugged Alicia, and she ended up in a stranger's bed. In one night, Alicia lost her innocence, while Joshua's mistress carried his child in her womb. Heartbroken and humiliated, Alicia demanded a divorce, but Joshua saw it as yet another tantrum. When they finally parted ways, she went on to become a renowned artist, sought out and admired by everyone. Consumed by regret, Joshua darkened her doorstep in hopes of reconciliation, only to find her in the arms of a powerful tycoon. "Say hello to your sister-in-law."
Haisley Jefferson, daughter of the Alpha of The Ashen Crescent Pack, finds her life far from fulfilling. She yearns to meet her mate so she can finally escape the hellhole she once called home. Instead of meeting her mate and escaping, fate takes an unexpected turn on her 21st birthday. Rather than a mate, she's given a husband – Hades Stone, the future Alpha of The DuskBane Pack, and a man she has secretly loved for years. The only problem is he has his eyes set on Alice, her adopted sister. In the face of this dilemma, Haisley rejects the marriage, but destiny seems to have its own plans beyond her control. Haisley finds herself at a crossroads. While she wishes for her mate to rescue her, she's also entangled in a deep affection for Hades. A forced marriage to him was not her desire, but it seems destiny has other plans.
Stella Richard married Rene Kingston in the place of her sister Sophia due to some reasons. But from the beginning, she knows that her marriage was just a time-limit contract and once the time was up she had to go. For RK, this marriage was just a burden but for her, it was a gift from God. Because RK was the man who she had loved all her Youth... So, in the meantime of her marriage, Stella did her best so that this marriage may work out. But on the day she found she was pregnant, her husband gives her the divorce paper and said... "I don't want this child. Don't forget to abort." These words come out of his mouth, like a bomb for Stella, and changed her life... She signed her name on the divorce paper and left the house... Because she doesn't want to be with such a cold-hearted man... Five years later... RK bought the company In which Stella worked. But Stella did her best not to have anything to do with him... Because she had a child and she didn't want him to find out about him... But one day When Stella picked up her son from school he saw her... RK, "How dare you had a child with another man?" Stella, "I don't think it has anything to do with you." RK was about to say more when his gaze fell on the child beside her... His face looked as same as when he was young...
After hiding her true identity throughout her three-year marriage to Colton, Allison had committed wholeheartedly, only to find herself neglected and pushed toward divorce. Disheartened, she set out to rediscover her true self-a talented perfumer, the mastermind of a famous intelligence agency, and the heir to a secret hacker network. Realizing his mistakes, Colton expressed his regret. "I know I messed up. Please, give me another chance." Yet, Kellan, a once-disabled tycoon, stood up from his wheelchair, took Allison's hand, and scoffed dismissively, "You think she'll take you back? Dream on."
The night before her engagement, Valerie was tricked by her boyfriend and stepsister into spending the night with a stranger. After the night together, the man vanished. Later, her boyfriend accused her of cheating, revealing his affair with her stepsister. Pressured by her father, Valerie married an unconscious man in place of her stepsister. Valerie exposed the scheme, sabotaged her father’s ambitions, and transformed herself. When her husband woke and chased her to the airport, she calmly refused him, saying, "It's over between us." He held her firmly. "You married me, so you must commit."
Andrea Deciding that I was going to skip a day at work so I could have first time sex with my boyfriend seemed like the most absurd decision I could ever make. Or at least that was what I'd thought. Until I'd walked in on my said boyfriend cheating on me with some redhead and decided to get my revenge by losing my virginity to his wealthy billionaire father instead. Crazy, right? Trust me, I know. Like that's not enough, things take a drastic turn for the worst after I realized I was in love with him and pregnant with his child. Before I could get the chance to come clean about every including my feelings formhim and the pregnancy, he finds out about my trickery. Alejandro's not one to condone being lied to and deceived so he immediately tells me he doesn't want to see me again. So what do I do? I pack up and leave the country. But it seems like the universe isn't done with us just yet. . . Alejandro I should have known better than to get involved with someone way younger than me. It was something I've never done before. But like the saying goes, there's a first time for everything. The first time I met Andrea I was captivated by her beauty. More than that there was this innocence in her that called out to me like a moth to a flame. I ignored all the warnings in my head and went after what I wanted. And what I wanted was her. Unfortunately what she wanted was revenge against my son. I told myself that it had to be some kind of mistake. There was no way she had been playing with my feelings and planning some silly revenge this whole time. But she had. It had taken a surprise visit from my son for me to find out her true intentions. Even then it had been hard to believe it. But I couldn't deny that she'd fooled me real good alright. So naturally I cut ties with her. And that's supposed to be the end, right? Wrong. Turns out that our story was never destined to end just there. . .