CLAIR
I turned the radio a notch higher and let myself get lost in the blasting music as I drove on the freeway. With my window down, I basked in the warmth of the sun against my skin, loving the feeling of the fresh air on my face and the wind blowing through my hair.
I had been driving for five straight hours, and I still had two more hours to go before I reached my destination. Fourteen hours of driving were too much to bear, but I had no choice.
My name is Absaline Clair Montrell.
I am a shifter. I spent the last five years of my life living among humans, except for my werewolf uncle. Uncle Theodore found his mate, who happened to be a human, and decided to leave the pack life for her. And from what I witnessed, he has no problem living the human life.
After my mother died from an attack while visiting her friend from another pack, my father decided he didn't want anything to do with me and sent me away.
Maybe I reminded him of my mother. They said I had her blue sapphire eyes and slightly wavy chestnut brown hair. But it wasn't a valid reason to send me away. My father might have lost his mate, the love of his life, but in turn, he made me lose not just my mother. I lost him too, my brother and the pack that should have been my home.
Now, the pack holds no meaning for me. I was still part of the pack - not being able to break the bond, but I felt alone, and going back there didn't feel like going home.
My uncle's mate, whose name is Laura, is a fine and lovable woman. She would make a great mother, and I hoped that one day the Goddess would give her a child of her own. Laura was very patient with me through my rebellious stage, and I will always be grateful for her presence in my life.
It wasn't easy living with my uncle and his mate at the beginning. But after a year of crying and begging for my father to take me back, I finally gave up. I started to not care anymore and embrace the human life I was given.
I have my own life now, and if it were up to me, I would've stayed hidden among the humans. Unfortunately, the Moon Goddess has a different plan. I would be turning eighteen in a couple of weeks, and for that reason alone, I found myself driving back to my pack's territory.
On the last full moon before a wolf turns eighteen, shifting happens, and that would be five days from now. For obvious reasons, I cannot shift around humans. Humans were oblivious to the fact that werewolves existed. Or maybe they weren't, but no one seemed to acknowledge or talk about it.
But once I was done with my first shift, I would leave and sever my bond with the pack. I don't want to be a part of them anymore, the same way they never wanted me.
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JAKE
'Alpha?' I received a mind-link from my Gamma, Aaron.
I´d been waiting for him the whole day, and I silently hoped he was sending the information I would like to hear.
'Yes? Where are you?' I asked without any emotions.
'I'm on my way to pick up Clair. She's already waiting by the border.' He answered.
'Good.' I cut my response short and waited for him to cut the mind link, a smile curling on my lips as I got the confirmation that the little princess had finally decided to return home after five years.
I knew she hated me for abandoning her, but knowing Clair, she always had a soft spot for me. I only hoped that she was still the same feisty little girl I knew and that the humans didn't destroy her spirit.
'Alpha,' Aaron's mind-link startled me. I didn't notice that the mind link wasn't cut off yet.
'Hmmm..' I replied, not really in the mood to converse with anyone.
'Do I need to take Clair there as soon as we arrive? Or can I take her home to meet Dad first? You know, Dad has been anxious to see her, and the wait is killing him.' Aaron asked politely. He knew the protocol, but it seemed he was trying to get around it this time.
'You know the rules, Aaron.' I replied, again void of emotion. 'Bring her here.'
'I know, Jake. But she didn't change packs. I believe she didn't do anything to sever the pack bond. Or I can ask her along the way.' His tone was respectful but determined.
I closed my eyes and squeezed my temples before answering. This annoyed me, and I know Aaron could sense I was pissed off already.
'She was twelve when she left, and if she severed that bond, I would not feel it. I need to know if she still belongs to this pack, otherwise, a ceremony needs to happen right away. I don't want non-pack members roaming around my territory. And just because she is your sister, doesn't make her an exception. Just do your job and bring her here. Am I clear, Gamma?' I retorted, leaving him no space for any argument.
'Yes, Alpha. I will soon reach her and will let you know when we have arrived at the pack house.'
I cut the mindlink right away without giving any response.
A smile played on my lips again. I could have easily let Aaron take her home and meet her tomorrow. She was no threat to the pack. But I wanted to see her. I didn't know I missed my little princess until the idea of her arriving sank in.
CLAIR I fidgeted with my fingers as I stood beside my truck, the one Uncle Theodore gave me. It was an old rusty-colored beat-up Wrangler truck, and I had been driving it since I was sixteen. Aaron volunteered to pick me up from the nearest train station, but I refused to leave my truck. I could have driven myself to the territory if I only knew the way to get there. But with the territory being surrounded by massive forests and mountains, the GPS was not working perfectly in that area, so that left me with no other option but to have Aaron pick me up and follow his car. To say that I was nervous was an understatement. I think I was scared. And I had no idea why. It must have been the realization that, after five years, I was finally coming back. Five years, five long years. I had been around humans for so long that it seemed I had forgotten how it was to live within the pack. How will they react once they see me? Will they accept me? Does anybody care at all? I let out a sarca
CLAIR "We are almost here. Get yourself ready." "What do you mean?" I looked at the view in front of us as we approached. Confusion was written all over my face. I turned to Aaron with a raised eyebrow. "This is not home as I remember. This is the packhouse, right? You and Dad live here now?" Aaron shook his head as he put the car to a full halt and unbuckled his seatbelt. "No. I stay here, but Dad lives alone in our house. But I will stay at home with you and Dad for a few days until you turn 18. I assumed I needed to teach you the basics of pack life first. But for now, hop off — we’re meeting Alpha Jake. He is expecting us." He said it nonchalantly as if it was the most natural thing in the world. He walked out of the car even before I could berate him for not telling me about this stopover. I sighed and slumped my back onto the seat before unbuckling my belt. Although there was nothing wrong with meeting the Alpha, I suddenly developed a sickening feeling in my stomach. I was
CLAIR I followed him to his office after making sure Aaron would stay and wait for me outside. I threw the gum discreetly into the waste bin along the way. It didn’t escape my eyes that Jake scowled at the sight of me chewing gum. Not that I care. It’s just that it’s better to throw it away, and maybe he would stop scowling and be more welcoming. Jake’s scent enveloped me as soon as I stepped into his office. It’s calming but doesn’t stop me from being annoyed with his silence. I was at least expecting him to be a little enthusiastic upon seeing me back. I set myself up for failure. The boy, no, the man in front of me, was stoic as stone. No emotions at all. But I should have expected it from him, like what Aaron said, he changed. He was no longer the lovable Jake I adored as a kid. "So... why am I here again?" I broke the silence that was killing me while I sat in front of him. My fingers reached for the pen laying down on the table and started twiddling with it. It took him a fe
CLAIR "Thank you, Alpha." I turned around and grabbed the door handle again. I stopped for a moment when I felt my neck burn. I know he’s watching me. I contemplated if I should look back, but decided against it and turned the knob to open the door. I hurriedly exited his office, and as soon as I closed the door, a loud smashed sound of glass against the wall was heard. I stood frozen in shock for a couple of seconds before I was able to compose myself and walk away completely from his office, shaking my head in disbelief. 'What a prick!' I told myself. 'I heard you, princess. You forgot to turn off the mind link.' I stopped on my track and felt the hair at the back of my neck stand up when I heard his voice in my mind. And did he just chuckle? 'Shit! How can I turn this off?'I asked myself but I was well aware that he heard that too. 'Find it out yourself.' 'F**k!' 'Your mouth, princess.' 'F**k! F**k! F**k! Can you still hear me?' I closed my eyes and my hands rolled into fi
CLAIR The last three days went by fast. After the awkward first meeting with Dad after many years, we all tried to move on and be a family. It wasn’t easy, and I wanted to be a rebel and let him know how badly he treated me for sending me away. But I couldn’t. As much as I hated him for sending me away, I loved my father. And I longed for him just as much as I longed for Mom. I knew it would take time before all the wounds of being abandoned would heal. But I wanted to make us a family again, even just for a short time before I moved on and became an adult on my own. So I was trying just as he was. Dad was the manager of the town’s public library in nearby town. He’d been bringing home additional books for me to read since I arrived. He was aware of my love of books, but Aaron had taunted him that it appeared he just wanted me to be cooped up in the house with books and with no social life. But, to be honest, I haven’t had time for myself or for all the books Dad has given me sin
JAKE I watched as she sprinted away from us and let out the breath I’d been holding for a while. She's a real grown-up now. Far from the little Clair with messy hair and pigtails who followed me and my friends around all the time. And she’s so fucking sexy that my mind was still reeling from the image of her full ass as she sped away. I shook my head, trying to let go of any thoughts about her, knowing that having my member on full erect while talking to my Gamma would be disastrous. "What was that, Jake? Not Clair, please. No messing up with pack members, remember? Especially not my sister." Aaron broke the silence between us as we both looked in the direction where Clair was headed. I could hear the disappointment in his tone, and I couldn’t blame him. He was simply protecting his sister from me. "I don’t know what you’re thinking, man. I just hugged Clair. It s not like I’m fucking her." A low growl reverberated from his chest, and I knew right then that I made a wrong move by
AARON After the meeting ended, the elders, together with the former Beta and Gamma and their mates, left the meeting room, leaving me alone with Alpha Jake and Beta Gavin. Beta Gavin and I just looked at each other, waiting for the Alpha to break the silence. We dared not voice our opinion when it was not requested since we both knew this was a sour topic for the Alpha. After a long silence, the Alpha cleared his throat and lifted his gaze, shifting it back and forth between me and his Beta. "I honestly have nothing to say." He scowled. "Can you fucking find your mates now so I don’t have to deal with this Luna game?" My lips pursed into a thin line, trying to gauge the weight of his statement before the whole room erupted into a spring of laughter. Alpha Jake was shaking his head while laughing. After a while, Gavin joined in, and in seconds I found myself laughing with them. Relief coursed through me that the Alpha was taking this lightly compared to what I expected. "You got m
CLAIR I spent the whole day locked up in my room trying to decide whether I should stay or just go away from here and move on with my life. Before I came back here, I already had everything planned out. Come back - shift - leave. But I didn’t expect Jake to consume my mind since I got here. And that hug we shared yesterday had me hoping for something. I actually decided to stay longer to get to know him again. However, the news Aaron brought me last night bothered me so much that I was not able to sleep at all. I spent the whole night turning and tossing. I was confused, and for the first time since I got here, the feeling of being unwanted crept in again. After a constant battle with myself, I finally got the courage to gather all the clothes and things I came home with and tossed them in my duffel bag, not even bothering to fold them. Flashes of my conversation with Aaron last night kept playing in my head. Jake will have a Luna soon and I didn’t want to be here when it happen