I am burning. It’s hot, so hot it melts my skin. It’s drenched in sweat, prickling me with a thousand sharp needles. My insides churn, twisting and turning with a pain I never imagined was possible. I shudder, drawing ragged breaths when something presses my brow.

There is someone, holding a wet cloth to my brow. With gentle strokes, they wipe it, the cool cloth soaking my misery. The pleasant wetness slides to my eyes, to my cheeks and neck. The heat dissipates but only to return in another blast.

I write with a new vigour. Someone steps back, shuffling uneasily.

“She is no better.”

“Keep trying. It’s only been a few days.”

*****

Olivia -

It feels glorious to be naked.

To be naked and walk unabashed through the pack grounds flaunting your body, aware of its effect on the onlookers. The morning sunlight shines on me, crowning me like a queen as I walk through the main street towards the house. People gawk at me, their eyes appreciating my body as if I am some Grecian beauty.

Hypocrites! These very people frowned at me when I went out in my shorts and crop tops. I was considered forward and cheap. Now that I’m a wolf, they have no issue with my nudity. It’s the most normal thing for a wolf to be naked, it seems, to be in your natural, God-gifted skin.

I snort. Well, I too have no issues with it. I plan to do this more often. They will stare at me, be it in my human form or my wolf form. They will appreciate me for who I am, what I am.

Grinning, I stride into the house and into my room, only to find my backpack dumped on my bed. Someone must have carried it for me. It’s bloated, as if something thick is stuffed inside. I know what it is.

I unzip it to pull out Danny’s joggers and jumper I borrowed on that frosty night by the lake.

The fabric is soft. Warm and comforting, just like its owner. Overuse has bobbled it. The silly girl wore them all the time, yet it is dewy like a baby’s head. The night I wore it, I wanted to snuggle with Danny, but I made do with her clothes. Her betrayal stung. She should have been there to comfort me. Support and protect me like the elder sister she was. Instead, she let me down.

Something pricks my heart. I scrunch them to my chest, breathing in the stuffy scent. Silly girl had jumped off that cliff for no reason. I would have taken care of her. It didn’t matter that she was an Omega. I would have protected and supported her.

Alas, she is gone. She made her choice. I need to forget her and start making mine.

I fold the clothes carefully to put them in the drawer, then get into the bathroom. Twenty minutes later, I come out to find the door open. There is a person standing near my tiny bed.

Gabe Stevens. What is he doing here?

He is freshly washed, shaved, and floods the room with a heady scent of pine and some pungent male aftershave. He does not wear the usual Silver Shadows uniform of black and green. Instead, he is in blue jeans with a crisp white collared shirt, with top button open and sleeves rolled to the elbows in all casual elegance. It’s a classic attire to make any woman swoon, including me.

“Hi.” He smiles, his sweet pine scent assaulting my senses. My irritation flares.

“What are you doing here? How did you get in…?”

“Sorry. The door wasn’t locked, and you were in the bathroom, so I decided to wait here.”

Ah, looks like I forgot to bolt the door. I never really paid attention as I never got any visitors. But maybe things have changed.

“Is this about our talk earlier? I thought you said I could take my time.” I tilt my head, scrunching my nose to ward off the heady scent.

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“Ah, no. I came here for something else.” His eyes trail down by body, from my damp neck to the crevice between my breasts to my bare feet. I am wearing my bathrobes but haven’t paid attention to the belts. Nothing is gaping, but his searing eyes leave me colouring red.

“I want to show you something. Something you will love.”

“Really! And what is it?” I am about to roll my eyes. Unless he plans to undress again, I don’t know what he has possibly that could interest me. The man is more a chameleon than a werewolf. His shifty green eyes change colour based on the situation. His handsome face feels so fake, I want to claw it bloody.

A growl builds in my throat, and I fight to suppress it. Being a wolf is glorious, but I don’t particularly enjoy this savage instinct.

Ten minutes later, I come out of my room, changed and ready. Gabe smiles and takes my hand.

“This is not necessary.”

“Please, Olivia. I insist.”

He leads me out of the corridor to the landing, then instead of turning downwards, takes the stairs upwards. I frown, following him as we pass the second floor, then the third. The upper floors are reserved for the Alpha family alone. I have seen Danny here once with Tamara, but I have never been close enough to anyone to take me there.

Now Gabe is. It’s a start.

He pushes open a door and I enter after him. It’s a vast room, or rather a set of rooms behind a magnificent double door. It’s not lavish as my LA house, but definitely an improvement over the rickety guest rooms below. The floor is bare, with dark teak floorboards. There is a small sitting area that opens to a large bedroom with a balcony to the other end overlooking the forest. To the right is a pair of old mahogany wardrobes. A beautiful antique writing table sits in a corner with an ornate lamp and some stationery.

The décor is more functional than comfortable. The owner must be a sadist to live here without a bare minimum sofa.

“This was mother’s room.” Gabe says, looking a little off. I raise a curious eyebrow. “As you see, it’s empty. I think it’s a shame to let you live in that dinghy room downstairs when we have this one available.”

I exhale in surprise, not knowing how to respond. He looks a little uncomfortable.

“Don’t think I am being callus, because I am not. I love my mother and am sad that she is gone. But I am a practical man and I think you deserve this as much as her.”

I grunt, turning away from him. It feels too soon to think that way, yet I agree with Gabe. It’s not like Phyllis was the first Luna to occupy this room. There were many before her, and originally it belonged to my family, anyway.

Once it was my great-grandmother’s, and before that my great-great-grandmother’s. They too must be fierce Lunas. This room deserved anyone with the same spirit.

An easterly breeze flows in, bringing in the scent of a decay in the forest. My skin shivers. However I justify, the room does not feel right. It’s too soon.

“Are there any other rooms?”

“Tammy’s. It’s smaller than this one and full of stuff. I can have it cleared if you want.”

I shake my head as an irritation flares. In a house full of empty rooms, there is not a single room I can take without feeling guilty. To tell the truth, there is only one place I would like to claim, which will make all doubts vanish.

I smirk. “And what about the Alpha’s rooms? Where are those?” My eyes twinkle as I tilt my head, gauging his reaction. Gabe looked surprised.

“Father is currently at the infirmary, but I can show you if you like…”

“That’s not necessary.” I smirk and wave him away. I would love to call his bluff, but I am not ready yet. I can wait to see it - my grandfather’s room, and his father’s before that. I must reclaim all this, or what is my purpose?

Half an hour later, I saunter down, having gotten rid of Gabe. I turn back into the guest floor, but halt at the fork in the corridor. There is one more room lying empty now. One more room whose owner has died an untimely death.

As usual, the door gives in with a little push. The room is quiet. A thin layer of dust has settled on every surface, proclaiming a week’s absence of its occupant. It’s much neater and tidier than my room though, Danny was always a sucker for neatness. In LA, she had a massive bookcase in her room, beautifully decorated to show off her collections. I thought it was a waste of good space, as it could easily have fitted a better dressing table or a wardrobe. In my own room, I have two massive wardrobes lining two walls and a third one outlining the window apart from the separate dressing room. Danny never needed so much space. She was happy in the tiny room grandma granted to her.

This room is smaller. The bed takes most of the space. Whatever books she could salvage from before stand proudly on the table arranged in a neat row. On the top is her latest sketchbook. I pick it up when something falls out of it.

It’s an old black-and-white picture of a handsome man, grinning widely from ear to ear. It’s not someone I know. Frowning slightly, I turn it to find a name scrawled on the back.

Rey.

For a moment, I stand stunned. I never knew Danny had this picture. John must have given it the night he told her our grandpa’s story. She told me the whole story, but not of this.

Anger bubbles inside me. The little minx! How dare she hide this from me! If anyone deserves to keep this picture, it’s me. Not a pathetic Omega like Danny.

I pocket it in a huff and am about to throw the notebook back when there is a growl from behind.

“How dare you! Put that back. And get out of here. How dare you break in!”

I turn to see Adam, looking all travel-worn and ragged, yet his menace leaves me unnerved. My heart shudders as I take a step back, but the room is too small to protect me from him.

***** *****