Artemis Starr’s POV

  “C’mon, Starr, you hit like a girl,” Master Groiler barked as I blocked another strike from Catherine, my least favorite person in the pack. My arms trembled under the force, but I refused to let her see me falter. If there was one thing I wanted more than to kick her smug ass, it was to put her in her place once and for all.

  “Go on, bitch. Is that all you’ve got?” Catherine sneered, prodding me with her bamboo stick as I wiped the sweat from my face.

  She wanted a fight? Fine. She was going to get one.

  I sidestepped her next swipe, slamming the center of her stick hard enough to send one end clattering to the ground. The vibration made her wince, and I almost smirked—until she flicked sand into my face with the other end.

  The grains stung my eyes and filled my mouth. I spat and stumbled back as laughter erupted around me.

  “Wanna eat more?” Catherine taunted, her grin widening.

  I clenched my fists, my wolf growling in my mind, but before I could lunge at her, Master Groiler stepped forward. “And that, little wolves, brings us to the end of today’s training,” he announced, clapping Catherine on the shoulder as if she’d won some great victory.

  *****

  “C’mon, close your eyes,” Calum’s voice came out from behind me with a tinge of excitement. He knew how I felt about surprises; they always made me nervous, and this moment was no exception. His scent, a blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, and a hint of sweet caramel, danced around my nose as I felt his finger pick a strand of hair from my face.

  We had only been mates for three days, and I’d admit that the mate bond thing was a bit annoying to me, mainly because whenever we were apart, I felt like my heart was being ripped out of my chest. Going to pick herbs for my grandma, Dolly, the pack’s healer, without inviting him felt like being subjected to suffocation. I wondered why people loved this bonding thing when privacy was completely off the table once one was bonded.

  I exhaled and tightened my eyes shut. “If this is a toad again, I swear the next funeral will be yours.” I threatened. The reason I feared surprises since I was five was because on my fifth birthday, he took me to the riverside and told me the same thing: to close my eyes, and he handed me a paper bag. Upon opening my eyes, a toad croaked and hopped into my face. That was the first time he frightened me to the core and made me cry. He spent a month apologizing after that and swore never to pull something like that off ever again.

  I felt a gentle blow of air around my neck, and then his finger brushing it gently like he was caressing me. My breathing hitched. His, came, warm and gentle at the back of my neck, and I felt his body pressed against mine. My body tensed.

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  “Almost…there,” he whispered. What the hell was he doing?

  I felt something cold tap in between my cleavages, and I swallowed the lump in my throat. “Wh-what’re you doing?” I managed to ask hesitantly.

  “Open your eyes,” he said in a soft voice. As I opened my eyes, I felt a sudden burst of light in my face, causing me to shut them as quickly as I had opened them.

  “What the fuck?” I hissed, but he wrapped his arms around me from behind tightly and kissed my cheek, and then, to the tune of the birthday song, he began swaying our bodies from left to right gently as he hummed in his deep voice.

  I felt my cheeks grow pinkish when I slowly opened my eyes once more to see a torchlight on the mirrorhead, pointing directly at me. That was when I noticed it. A glittering diamond locket resting in my cleavages, hanging on a silver necklace. My lips parted, but no words came out. I saw our reflection in the mirror; his face was buried in my neck from the left like a baby, but he gently lifted up his head to face the mirror, and his bright, piercing green eyes seemed to gleam with intensity that made me fall even harder for him, but I was speechless.

  “This is the part where you say something,” he whispered, cracking me. He knew how hard it was for me to say ‘I love you,’ and that was what he wanted to hear at the moment.

  Sia, my wolf, growled within me as she stepped forward to make her presence felt. “Don’t be a spoiled kitten,” she said in mockery. “Kiss him now or forever keep your romantic fantasies to yourself.”

  I passed my finger on the diamond and gasped. Surprising even myself, I spun around quickly and pressed my lips against his, firmly like a lifeline. For a moment he hesitated, then wrapped his arms around my waist and returned the favor, teaching me how it was properly done. We had never shared a kiss or done anything aside from talking, having fun, and acting goofy, even when we became aware of our bond three days ago.

  His fingers lingered a bit too long around my waist till I felt the cold air rush over my stomach. It was bare. My heartbeat quickened, and I quickly broke the kiss shamefully and pushed my shirt down, clearing my throat and anxiously looking around for anything that could help me with the excuse I was planning. Then suddenly my phone rang.

  “It's my grandma!” I blurted, although he hadn't asked me anything. Sia bent and shook her head. “You’re such a loser.” She mumbled and disappeared to the back of my mind.

  Calum gave a reassuring smile. He took a step forward to close the gap between us and pressed a kiss on my cheek before walking out.

  “Artie, are you there?” My grandma’s voice broke through, reminding me of the call.

  “Yes-yes, grandma,” I said, mistakenly breathing louder through my mouth. The observant old woman was quiet for a few seconds before speaking, and I knew she had questions already.

  “I’m starting to get worried—jealous even—that you have Calum—”

  “C'mon, Grandma, you always asked me to get married and leave you alone, remember?” I teased, passing my finger on the diamond locket once more before leaving Calum’s place.

  He wasn't outside when I got there, but his scent was in the air, so I knew he was close by.

  “Shut up, Will,” Grandma scolded, and I heard someone groan from her side of the line. “Hey, um... can I interrupt whatever unholy thing you're doing? I need help.”

  “Goddess, grandma,”

  “It's obvious from how you're breathing, but whatever, go to the eastern forest and get me some aloe vera, please?”

  I shook my head and responded before sending a text to Calum that I’d sleep over tonight.

  Just as I hit the 'send' button, Sia showed up. “Perve,” she mumbled. I frowned and went off to do what had been asked of me.

  ****

  It was six fifty-eight in the evening when I finished gathering the aloe vera Grandma would need, along with extra for the week. The forest was dark, and the only sound was that of my own footsteps—until I caught the all-too-familiar scent of our pack's Luna, Aria. Perhaps she had come with the Alpha, and I didn’t want to distract them.

  I softened my footsteps so no one could hear me, but the scent grew stronger and was soon mixed with another I couldn’t recognize.

  “Won’t you check it out?” Sia prompted. “She could be in danger.”

  I pulled out the jackknife I carried everywhere, and gripped the sack full of aloe vera tightly in my left hand as I scanned the area. I continued walking lightly, and then suddenly, I heard a giggle. The sound was unmistakably the Luna.

  I figured if she was excited, there was no need to interfere, but Sia insisted we check to make sure she was okay. I hid behind a tree, tilting my head to see who she was with. The flashlight I had noticed earlier illuminated the face of a man—hairy, with a well-developed body.

  My breath hitched, and my eyes narrowed as the torch lit his face. He lowered his gaze to the ground as they began to lock lips. She was the Luna, and the pack’s number one rule was that no one, not even the Alpha, was allowed to cheat.

  Sia bombarded my mind with noise, urging me to take a photo and run. For some reason, our pack’s Luna didn't like me much and catching me doing something like that could turn out really nasty for me.

  In my pani

  c, I accidentally snapped a twig beneath my feet, drawing their attention.

  “Oh no!”