*Summer’s POV:Everyone was indeed waiting for me. As I got down from the car, I noticed how some of the men were looking at me. They were probably curious and hadn’t got the chance to see me before.“You, and you, escort Miss Summer to her chambers. Make sure everything is safe and ready for her before you let her in, and stay in front of her door at ALL TIMES. Am I understood?”“Yes, Beta.”I was stunned and surprised to see the ease with which he was commanding all these men, even though they weren’t our pack warriors. Everyone seemed to genuinely respect and appreciate his input.“Beta Samuel, Prince Lucian, I have also set up rooms for you both. Since your mate is pregnant, I have arranged the first floor room for you, beta. As for you, Prince Lucian, your suite is on the last floor, right next to Summer’s.”Samuel and Lucian looked at each other, and I could tell they were slightly surprised. Nonetheless, they nodded in agreement.Before I followed my two personal guards, I took
Summer’s POV:Hearing him mention the letters instantly made my body tense up. Why was he suddenly bringing this up, after ignoring me for all those years? I stood up, and I could feel myself blushing. Suddenly, the cold clearing felt very, very warm. Marcus also stood.“I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable, or leave. I just want to tell you my side of the story, that way maybe you will understand why I pushed you away. If you want me to shut up, I will. Just stay.”I examined his face for a while. He seemed genuinely apologetic, and of course, I was still deeply hurt by his rejection. Maybe hearing him out would be a good thing… I sat back down, but he didn’t. He started pacing around the fire, and the words just started flowing out of my mouth:“You knew… All this time, you knew. And yet, you kept hurting me, demeaning me. You made me feel worthless, every time I saw you with a different girl…”“No… that’s not what… You don’t understand… It’s complicated…”He was still pacing, gro
I couldn’t remember when I had fallen asleep. Tossing and turning in my bed for what seemed like hours, sleep escaped me. I was thinking about all the recent events, the mate-bond between me and Marcus… and Lucian. Was Marcus right? Was Lucian’s sister-in-law murdering any she-wolf coming near him? I felt my throat tighten, as I was now his official mate. Surely, that meant I had a mark on my back, but I never really thought of what that would mean until Marcus said those things.His confession tonight struck a chord. He was always kind to me… Unlike Chris or Rose, he had absolutely no reason to be kind to me, and yet he was. Everything he did afterwards, the females, the rejection… Was I willing to let all that go and start anew? Marcus was strong, responsible and reliable. Everything about him screamed safety and family. Choosing him meant staying with the pack, having a calm little life as the beta female while Rose and Chris would be the next Luna and Alpha. Her life would be easy
Marcus’ POV:I looked at Summer, and the fear in her eyes made me even angrier. The Red River Pack was a pack of murderers, as far as I was concerned. Sending them a messenger was Prince Lucian’s idea: I would have much rather avoided their territory altogether. Prince Lucian explained:“My father has assigned me with official business. I have sent a messenger to announce my arrival to the Alpha, but he has yet to return.”“He will not be returning.” I said.Lucian gave me the coldest possible look.“To offend the Second Prince is to offend the crown. No pack or Alpha would be so foolish, not even the Red River Pack.”“You don’t know these people…” Summer intervened with a soft, pained voice. He turned to her.“I must admit, I am not very familiar with the histories of your two packs. All I know is that there is a rivalry between you…”“IT’S NOT A RIVALRY! THEY ARE MURDERERS!” I banged my fist against the table, feeling Brutus in the back of my head just scratching to get out.Now Pri
“I don’t… What does that even mean?”Prince Lucian took a deep breath, before explaining:“When the hybrids shift for the first time, their wolves make them even stronger and faster. But the shift kills them.”“Kills their wolves? So then how are they able to survive?” Summer’s voice was high-pitched. She had never heard of a wolf dying and their human counterpart staying alive.“They don’t. Unless they find a host, another werewolf who is just ready to be possessed. Hence the attacks on the packs and the kidnappings.”Summer mulled over that information for a while, unable to respond. Not only did they murder anyone who crossed their path, but they also took control of innocent werewolves?“The deadly attack on both the packs is what drove a wedge between us. My father told me all about it, before he…” Marcus hesitated. “Before he died. Apparently, your grandmother led an attack against the rogues. The Red River Pack was closest to them, but they were quickly outnumbered. Even with a
Summer’s POV: This is the 101st time I sneaked into Beta Marcus's room secretly. Marcus is the Beta of my father, the youngest and handsomest Beta of our pack. But unfortunately, every time I see him, he’ll have a (different) girlfriend with him. How else could I explain this suffocating feeling? I quietly sneaked to his bedside and carefully put the No. 101 love letter under his pillow. This letter is the most special one. The only one that had my name on it. I took one last look to confirm and leveled the sheets then turned…Ah!!! A hand on my shoulder and I saw… Marcus! HELL, I was caught! “What are you doing here, sneaky cat?” Marcus turned my body around and his eyes were damn... emotional. “I… I am here..” I didn't know how to explain why I was in his room since it would be a long story. Just as I was stuttering and trying to find myself a reason, Marcus lifted me up to the bed, pressed me down with his rough body like on fire, clamped on my hands and placed them beyo
Of course I’d run into her at this exact moment: it was like the universe was mocking me. Think you can’t be more upset? Well, think again! “Out to get some fresh air, I see… I am not surprised, I just saw your sister with her new mate. What a lovely couple, Samantha sneered. Such a shame you haven’t found your mate yet! Especially now that your sister and best friend will be busy with each other. Weren’t they like the only two people who tolerated you?” “You’d know something about not finding mates, Samantha. What’s it been? Like two years since you got rejected by that pack warrior? At least, I still haven’t found my mate… beats finding them and getting rejected!” Samantha flushed and growled menacingly. She had been the biggest b*tch to me since I could remember, so this behavior was normal. She’d never dare attack me for real, since I was the daughter of Alpha. She turned around and started walking away from me, and into the house, before suddenly stopping and turning back. She
*Summer’s POV:He rejected me… he rejected me… it was over.Alexandria howled in pain in the back of my mind, but it was nothing compared to how I felt. There were just no words. Like someone opened my chest and pulled out my still-beating heart. I have to accept the rejection, I thought.“DON’T! FIGHT FOR OUR MATE!”“No, Alexandria. I am the daughter of an Alpha. I will not beg anyone for their affection. You saw him too, with that girl!”“But the mate bond is sacred! He needs to explain himself. Let me talk to his wolf.”“No.”I swallowed my pain and looked him right in the eyes before answering:“And I, Summer Storm, daughter of Alpha Richard Storm, accept your rejection.”That was it. His eyes lingered for a second on my face, and I could have sworn I saw… a tear? He transformed right there and then, leaping out of the garden and into the woods.My mate, my crush, had rejected me. And he was gone.It was almost dark. The sun had set a long time ago, and the orange skies slowly tur