EDEN
After Ryler kicked me out, I don't know how I moved but I was no longer in the house. I wasn’t in the pack. It was the middle of the night and I had no idea where I was, or where I’m going.
I still couldn’t believe any of what was happening was real.
I ended up in a small town not very far from Ryker’s pack. It took a little while for me to realize where I was.
I’ve never been there but I knew the name. It was popular among the kids in school because of the open bar they had.
Ryker has tried to convince me to come once or twice but I always declined. I was terrified of running into the people at school.
Do I really blame him for going for my much stronger sister?
Nelly had alpha blood in her and was born through the sacred bond. She is among the top five fighters. While, I’m not even in the top hundred. And we’re not up to a hundred.
I was about to go into the bar when I caught sight of my reflection. No one would take a look at me and think I'm sane.
And I wanted to get drunk. I needed to get drunk so I could forget the events of today. I was deep in my thoughts, thinking of what to do when a lady walked out.
She notices me and stops, her forehead creasing in worry and a bit of caution.
“Hey, darlin’. Whatcha doing out here?” Her voice is slightly accented.
She has the brightest eyes, it shone even with the bad lighting, giving more light to her fiery red hair.
“N-nothing.” I stuttered. She stared at me with a knowing look. She saw right through my lie.
“You look like a mess. Come here, there’s a bathroom you can clean up in. Okay?” I nodded gratefully and followed her.
She walked to the other side of the building and I got a bit hesitant to follow her.
“Oh, there are a few important guests and my boss wouldn’t be happy if we just walked in through the front.” she explained, seeing my hesitation.
Though I was still a bit skeptical, I followed her.
There was no way to change out of my messy top and jeans. I’m sweaty from running for about an hour. I’m waiting for my body to give out but the adrenaline was still high in my blood.
I splashed cold water on my face multiple times.
The thought of going back home to my father’s pack makes me shudder in fear.
He is going to kill me.
He wouldn’t care to know the context. He will just see that I got myself kicked out and now I'm back to being a liability for him.
The more obvious option is, he will take Nelly’s side. He always has. And now, Ryker is her mate. They’ll probably call me the whore even though I’m still a virgin. And I’ve heard whispers that Nelly sleeps around.
She is still the perfect daughter in their eyes.
The thought makes me want to break down again. Thankfully the nice lady returns.
She said her name is Angela. I can see that she really is an angel.
“I don’t know if this will fit, but it is the only thing I have.” She holds out something black for me.
“What’s that?” I ask in a croaky voice.
“A dress,” she smiles a bit. “It’ll look good on you. Maybe just a little short.”
She looked like she couldn’t be more than 5’3. I was about to tell her it is fine and I’ll manage with the clothes I have on. But one look at my feet and how muddy the jeans were, made me swallow the words.
She gives me privacy and I change into the dress. It is a long sleeve with an open back. And it fits perfectly, hugging every part of my body. But it was too short. Barely covering my ass.
“Shit.” I muttered, trying to drag it down.
I stared at the pile of dirty clothes I’d just taken off and cursed some more. Of all days, I chose today not to wear a jacket.
In my defense. I didn’t think I would be thrown out of the house by my boyfriend.
Thinking of Ryker shorts pain through me and I have to clutch my stomach at a cramp that I feel. I never got a period which was normal for humans. But I always have cramps around the same time of the month.
Wolves go into heat when they meet their mates or get to a certain age. I didn’t have either and I only dealt with these sharp bursts of pain here and there.
The door opens again and Angela walks in. She makes an approving sound.
“That looks great on you.” She compliments me.
“It is short.” I blurted without thinking. Then I covered my mouth with my hand.
She is only helping me and I’m being rude.
“I'm so sorry.” She waves it off.
“You look like you’ve had a long day, sweets. I understand.” I sighed and nodded.
Somehow, this stranger that I have never met in my life is being nicer to me than my own family.
The dingy light in the bathroom wasn’t all that bright. It was bright enough that I saw how swollen my eyes were when I looked in the mirror.
“I’m not trying to be nosey but you look like you need some help. Did you run away from home?” Angela’s voice softens.
She was looking at my clothes, which was a dead giveaway.
“Do you have anywhere you can go? It is getting pretty late and you don’t look like you’re even legal.”
“I turned eighteen today.” I said with a shrug, like that made everything better.
A sad smile tugs at her lips. “Happy birthday.”
“Thank you.” It comes out choked.
Wasn’t it pathetic that the first person to wish me on my birthday was someone I didn’t know?
I wanted to burst into tears again.
“My boyfriend slept with my sister.” I muttered out of the blue. “And he kicked me out of the house.”
“Oh, darling. I’m so sorry.” Her tone was genuine.
I felt tears trail down my cheeks. She comes forward and she wipes it with her palms. Her hands are so unbelievably soft. I leaned into her touch without realizing.
“You need a drink.” I couldn’t agree more.
I nodded and followed her out to the bar. There weren’t many people there now and it was quite dark. No one would accidentally see my panties if I sat down the wrong way.
She asked what I wanted, but I’ve never had alcohol in my life. So I just stared at her blankly. She chuckled and said she got me. Then she made us a drink. The first sip made me choke and I almost spilled it all away.
She laughed, which made me laugh. The pressure in my chest starts reducing slowly. And I took another sip. It burned on my tongue but it wasn’t as bad as the first.
Like that, we finished the first round and then took another.
I was starting to get dizzy by the time we counted four. She told me to slow down but I wouldn’t listen. It felt good. I finally felt free. I felt alive.
It is nothing like I have felt before.
I wasn’t thinking of Ryker, or Nelly, or Willow. Or even my father.
I didn’t care that my life was shit and I didn’t have anywhere to go. I was just so weirdly happy for some reason.
The soft music playing in the background made me start moving my body slowly. Angela, who was as drunk as me at that point, joined in. And we laughed and danced together.
That was all I could remember because the next morning, I woke up with an unmistakable pain between my legs.
And I was in my bed. In my father’s house.
“Eden!”
His loud yelling was what woke me up.
And as realization settled into me. I figured my breakup with Jason was the least of my problems.
ROMAN “Well try to get it done! I don't have all fucking day!” “Yes My Lord." Sometimes, I felt I was the only one with half a brain in this house. I had so many people around me and yet, none of them could think and do things without me asking or yelling. “Where is Quinn?” I fought the urge to smack the guard who was staring at me. Seeing the glare I was sending his way makes him snap out of it. He knows what I can do with my obvious bad mood. The same thing is wrong. It's been wrong for the last twenty seven years and I'm sick of it, okay? I just wished I could find what I was looking for. At this point, I may actually give up. Everyone around me had found their mates. Even people who turned eighteen after me had found their mates, got married and had kids but each year. I was getting closer and closer to the grave with no assurance of ever finding the one. Was I going to be fifty when I had my first kid? Thinking about that made me uncomfortable. You need to relax, okay? I'
EDENI looked around the room, more confused than ever. The last time I was here was on my birthday when my father said I had to come.It was Nelly’s eighteenth birthday and my seventeenth. They were throwing her a big party. Important guests would be here and God forbid he looks like an irresponsible father.I hated coming here because his wife hated me. I didn’t even blame her. I was proof of his infidelity.Ryker was there and it had been bearable because he stayed with me the whole time.I was scared to think they were going to have an event today in her honor, and I’ll be forced to attend. I’ll be forced to watch her and Ryker together. He has probably marked her.And knowing her. She’ll make sure she wears clothes that are revealing enough for me to see.“Eden!!! If you don’t get here right now I’m going to kill you with my bare hands. I promise!”My father’s angry yell made me get off the bed in a rush. I ignore the discomfort I feel between my legs. I don’t even want to get in
EDENI didn't even know who to blame for my present condition.Do I blame myself for being careless and stupid? Yes.Do I blame the guy I had spent the night with for taking advantage of a drunk girl? Do I blame Angela for letting me drink so much and then leaving me at the mercy of a strange man?Or do I blame my father for overreacting and getting me locked up in the cellar?I didn't know what issue to even face.Between the injuries I had sustained from Nelly and her mother's beating. Or the fact that I hadn't eaten in three days and I was pregnant. Or maybe it was the fact that my father was going to have my head when he found out I didn't know who the father of the baby was.How did my father even know that I was pregnant? All he did was look at me and all of a sudden, he was asking how I was pregnant.Maybe the doctor’s told him. So much for keeping information confidential.I had sex once and all of a sudden, I was going to become a mother? How did that even make sense? I was
ROMANI was on my way up to my room when I heard footsteps behind me. I sharply turned around to see Quinn running towards me and I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, I'm happy to see you too.” Heavy pants filled my ears as I waited for her to speak. “I have something for you.” She finally spoke.With my hands in my pocket, I tapped my feet impatiently. “Speak up or I'll have to take your tongue out so it'll speak for itself.” The smile she had on her face disappeared at once and she cleared her throat. “Okay, I have some good news and bad news. Which one do you want first?” “The one that doesn't get you killed." My reply was instant. “I found your girl. Eden. I went back to the bar you were at and I asked around. Apparently, she's a runaway from- get this. Silver Edge.” My shoulder stiffen.“Silver Edge?” I asked. “That silver edge?" I repeated the question, like I was expecting it to change after. Quinn nodded.“One in the same. It's crazy right?" You have got to be fucking kidding me
EDENThat voice made me freeze and my heart beat faster in my chest. A familiar scent caught my nose and I thought hard about its origin. Suddenly, I started seeing flashes of what I seemed to have forgotten. Flashes of that night. But it was all blurry that I couldn’t really say I got anything tangible. “How dare you?! What the hell are you doing here?!” I heard the Alpha’s loud voice rumble through the house filled with so much anger.I've never heard him speak like that with anybody. Not even me. I could see the deep frown on the Alpha's face and the way he was shouting at the top of his voice. Almost baring his teeth, made me wonder who it was that he was speaking to.I couldn't help the uncomfortable feeling that I felt in the pit of my stomach.Nelly was standing in front of me so I had to look past her legs to try to see what was going on in front but I still couldn’t see since I was seated. “I’m telling you, Roman. Get the hell out of my pack before I lose it!”A loud lau
ROMANWe’ve been sitting in silence for almost ten minutes.Tim kept drinking water like a whale and it was starting to piss me off. I was sitting with someone whose head I've wanted since I'd grown up to know what hatred was. My father wanted his throat. Both of them had been at it since the beginning of time and I’d never known why but all I'd been told was that my father said to kill him as soon as I had the chance. It has been like that since his grandfather and his grandfather’s grandfather.The two families were like water and oil. They never mix. They never come to an agreement.And I was going to put all that behind us and slit his throat right now if he doesn’t stop drinking that damned water. “What the fuck is your problem?” I snapped, when I finally lost my patience. “Take what you want and leave.” He replied immediately. Like he had been waiting for me to speak. How stupid did he really think I was? I should take her so he'd ambush me when I least expect it? No way.
EDEN The Alpha came into my room two nights later with the same signature scowl in his face. I hadn't been expecting him to be here since I hadn't seen him all day. I even thought he’d left and I was relieved. After all, Nelly and Ryker’s wedding was happening this weekend and he had barely been around all week since he had things to discuss with that pervert.So when he walked into my “room” that night, my heart almost grew twice in size because of fear. “Good evening, Alpha.” Of course he didn't respond. That disgusted look he gave me every time he saw me didn't fail to show itself today.“The Lycan has decided that your marriage will be arranged for this weekend.” What? What was he talking about? What wedding?“What wedding? Who's wedding?” I stuttered.“You are going to marry the man you got pregnant for, you whore!” No. He had to be joking. I couldn't marry him! That would make me bound to him forever. I thought he just wanted the baby, I thought the baby was his desire so
EDEN Nothing would prepare me for the events that would take place leading up to the doomed wedding. One of the guards came down one day while I was preparing to come up for the day.“Pack your bags. You're coming with me.” That was all he said and before proceeding up the stairs like a robot. Maybe it was a mistake. I had thought to myself.I didn't have any bags to pack and also, I hadn't seen this guy before. What was Nelly planning this time? Or was it the Alpha? When I was still standing in that same spot, he came back down and we entered a staring contest. ”Come with me, the Alpha is waiting.” He sounded pissed off. When I heard that, the thought that the Alpha was calling me and I was wasting so much time crossed my mind and I really didn't want any more punishments. My body was getting too weak for that so I just stuffed a few things in my bag and went with the guard. Where were we going? And why did he ask me to pack a bag? I followed the guard in silence till we go