My head was reeling, and I felt the rage building up inside me. It was getting almost impossible to push it back down. I feared any day now, and I would reach my boiling point. Spending time with Martha would only add to that. I found her an obnoxious brat, and being in her service today will be a nightmare. I pity my brother doomed to spend a lifetime with such a hideous girl. When we arrived home, our housekeeper had prepared a feast for the picnic. Bertha placed fresh bread with ham, cheese and mothers homemade relish, cheese and crackers, fresh fruit, and two bottles of lemonade inside the wicker basket, a red and white checkered blanket sat on top. Atticus was sleeping soundly on the chair next to our mother. She was sitting in her armchair sewing buttons on one of fathers shirts. There was a sadness

  Running down the road as fast as my legs could carry me, I shivered. The night air was crisp, and the wind was starting to blow a gale. Panic began to set in, and I was struggling to breathe. The thought of Lucian leaving without me was too much even to consider. I knew I didn’t have much time before my father discovered me missing. My head was foggy, and my left eye was swollen shut. My face just ached, but not as much as my heart did. Seeing Kodessa realise the depths of my betrayal is something I will never forget. I hoped one day, in time, I could explain everything to her. Running from my family was the hardest thing I have ever had to do.  Lucian slung a sizeable brown canvas bag across his shoulder. As he closed his front door behind him, his hunting knife sat in its sheath attached to hi

Uncle Jackson bit his lip and looked deep in thought as he slumped down into the worn leather seat, adjusted the cushion behind him and began to speak. "Your father was not honest with you Fenis, he has twisted the past to make himself and his actions look better". Uncle Jackson bends his neck from side to side, the bones making a loud cracking sound. "Yes, your Aunt and I were in love, but we were in love before Lillyarna Ulfred arrived in Briarwood". "Darius, Tobias and I were best friends growing up, Tobias and I had seen snippets of your father's cruel side but had no idea of the lengths he would go to to get his way". "Bonnie and I were saying goodbye when your father walked in and caught us", overcome with guilt, we could no longer betray Tobias". "If only we had waite

My pillowcase was drenched in tears as I lay facedown on my bed. I could hear Grandma Ulfred in the kitchen banging pots and pans as she tidied up to keep herself busy while we waited for my father to return. My father would find Gwen and bring her home. He had to. We had already lost enough. Not having our mother here was a constant reminder of that. "Pull yourself together", I mumbled through tears. I flipped over to my back, sitting up. Lying in bed feeling sorry for myself was not going to fix anything. Sliding both legs off the side of the bed, I stood up and made my way to the kitchen. "Let's have a cup of tea," Grandma Ulfred said, giving me a sad smile, her face etched with worry.Sniffling back tears, I nodded." Where is she, Grandma¨? "What if something has happened to her"?

Itś not fair, I thought to myself as my father shut the door, Grandma Ulfred and I had been dismissed back to the kitchen, excluded from the conversation of men. It had always been this way. Women never took part in the running of the pack, the big decisions. Men always held the leadership roles, and if I were a male, I would be automatically Alpha when my father was unable to perform his duties, but oh no, because I’m a girl, it is my husband that will be next in line. “It’s not fair, Grandma”, I moaned, slamming the dishes in the cupboard as we began to clean the kitchen. “Kodessa Keneally, stop slamming those dishes like a petulant child,” she said with a sigh of irritation. “It is your fathers’ decision as Alpha, whom he di