Ryder scoffed and rolled his eyes, but made no objections as I stretched out like a cat, my socked feet resting in his lap. We watched in silence a little longer when my curiosity finally got the best of me. "Do you believe in stuff like this?" I asked with genuine curiosity as I gestured with a nod toward the TV. "What? You mean ghosts?" he asked, seemingly a little surprised by the question. I nodded. "Well, yeah. Like ghosts and paranormal stuff," I clarified, interested to hear his answer. "Well, I mean, I believe in werewolves," he joked, eliciting an exasperated eye roll from me, but then he went on more seriously. "I'm not sure. I've never experienced anything that's convinced me, but I'm not against the possibility of it being real. Maybe I'm just waiting for proof. What about—" He was cut off by the harsh buzzing sound of his phone vibrating on the wooden coffee table in front of us. Watching him reach out for it and pick it up, I could clearly see the word, 'MOM" emblaz

Unfortunately for me, I wasn't so lucky. After waking up and changing into my pajamas, I struggled to get back to sleep. Then, when I finally did manage to fall asleep, I kept getting that weird falling feeling that jolted me awake at least three times. Needless to say, it had been a miserable night for me, which was only exacerbated by the fact that I'd barely slept the night before too. I opened one groggy eye as I heard my bedroom door creak open. With gentle footsteps, Aunt Mara tiptoed into my dark room, halting at the treadmill before retreating back out the door and closing it behind her quietly. I wondered what that had been all about, but figured it couldn't be anything all that sinister if it involved Aunt Mara. With a groan I swung one lazy leg out of bed, then the other, using the momentum to pull myself into a sitting position. I sat in silent stillness for a moment, hunched over and listening to Aunt Mara's footsteps in the kitchen. She was likely making her morning c

***TRIGGER WARNING - DOMESTIC VIOLENCE*** The odd couple watched Aunt Mara with suspicious eyes as she sauntered past them casually. She exited the room quietly, closing the door behind her. "Miss Grey," Pantsuit Barbie addressed me, her tone shifting from serious to friendly in an instant, "I'm Tamara Bennett. I'm a Social Worker here at the hospital and I'd like to ask you a few questions if that's alright with you?" The woman began to walk toward my bed before I had even had a chance to reply. The pink pantsuit she wore was practical and formal, which was a sharp contrast to her shoes, which were anything but practical. The strappy stiletto heels made my feet ache on her behalf and I wondered how a person could wear those all day. Her entire outfit seemed to be a display of her authority and power, but simultaneously her femininity. "Is this about the AMA thing?" I asked, not understanding what the big deal was. "I'd just like to better understand why you would want to leave th

Aunt Mara gave a light, airy chuckle, which was completely unexpected. This was serious... I was mated to the future Alpha and I didn't want to be Luna. What was so funny about that? Her expression turned serious when she saw me staring at her in disbelief. "Honey, you were born to lead," she said simply, though the smile still tugged at the corner of her lips as she pulled into the driveway. I scoffed. "I'm a bit of a wallflower, in case you hadn't noticed..." I reminded her with a frown. "No, baby. You command attention. You blame the hair, but it's not that. And it's only becoming more apparent as you're getting older now. There's something we need to talk about, but—" My car door suddenly opened, interrupting her mid-sentence. Ryder loomed over me with a smile. Aunt Mara sighed deeply and continued in a whisper, "But the time never seems right..." She frowned. "Sorry Aunt Mara. What were you going to say?" I asked, urging her to continue despite our interruption. "We'll tal

I made my way to my room, it was just as I left it earlier, the bed still unmade and the curtains still drawn. Pulling the curtains open with my left hand was easy enough, and I managed to negotiate the gym equipment with no issues. I was off to a good start. Opening the cupboard, I tried to find something simple and loose-fitting to wear. The search turned up tonnes of oversized t-shirts, but the most comfortable pants I could find were leggings. I considered a dress momentarily, but I didn't have anything suitable in that department either. In the end, I selected one of my oversized band t-shirts and a pair of black leggings. Changing underwear wasn't too challenging a task, I'd figured out a technique when I went to the bathroom earlier, so I felt I had experience in that department. Next, I tried to take my t-shirt off. My left hand did its best, tugging the sleeve of the right arm down as I tried to pull the casted arm through it, but the cast kept getting caught on the slee