Chapter 1
Song of the chapter Notre Dame by Paris Paloma.
Artemis
It’s already morning, yet I’m still in bed, restless. My mind is miles away, wandering for answers no one can give him. Rolling onto my belly, I yell into the pillow in frustration.
It’s been a week since I put him in limbo, and despite it, I haven’t even thought about it. All I can think of is what he said. I locked myself in my bedroom. My professors have been notified that ”I’m sick."
I can’t even look Elli in the eyes without breaking.
We haven’t spoken on the subject since I locked myself up. I don’t want to cause more pain and give Elli false hope. Not to mention me. It will make everything too real. I know I’m adopted, but to actually have what could be a biological relative, present in my life?!
“Bitch, get a hold of yourself. No matter the outcome, you will still have Elli. Besides, I’m sick of being cooped up here with her. We need freedommmmmmm. Takes us out bitch.”
“Moody much?!”
“Uh, excuse you bitch; you can’t give us a taste of running in the woods and then take it away!!” Diana snarks.
Reluctantly, I get up and drag myself to the bathroom. I make the mistake of looking in the mirror and shudder at my appearance. “Ohh, wtf. I look like a nightmare.”
“That’s what you get for locking yourself up. Deal with it.” Nyx sass at me. “Oh, fuck off.”
I shower, knowing very well I will take another one when I come back and sigh. I do the whole nine yards and come out to my closet.
I go down to the kitchen and find Victoria sitting on the island munching a bowl of fruits. “What are you doing here?” She hops down and opens her arms for me. I cling to her like a koala and rest my head on her shoulder.
“We didn’t want you to be alone, so one of us is always here in case you need something.” I smile and sigh in contentment. It still surprises me how far along I have come from a scared teen who can’t touch people to a woman who clings to her mates and family.
“Do you need something?” She kisses me on the forehead while squeezing me.
“I was coming down to eat something before heading for the pack. They want out, and I was sick of their constant nagging.” I roll my eyes, and Victoria chuckles. “Luckily for you, I made some pasta and a salad.”
She puts me on the kitchen island and loads two plates with pasta, salad and some bread. We sit at the table in the dining room. Just as I’m about to pick up a fork loaded with pasta, Victoria picks me up and places me in her lap.
She kisses my side temple and feeds me. “I missed you.” I smile, feeling normal for the first time in days.
A bite she fed me left a smear of the sauce beside my lips. Victoria cleans it up with her thumb and puts it in my mouth. I gently suck on her thumb while holding her gaze.
“As much as I want to stay here and fuck, I need out.” Victoria breaks our eye contact and chuckles. I huff and pout, “Great timing, Nyx.”
“It’s so weird to hear her in my head. It’s like a piece of me that I didn’t even know was missing has been put back into place.” She hugs me.
We finish eating and get out of the house to the car. Needing to feel in control, I decided to be the driver.
I may have come a long way in my healing journey, but I still suffer from CPTSD. This is a fact that will not change. I will never heal from it; there is no cure for it. I can only learn to live with it and make peace.
“So, how it’s going to work with you and Dean? I mean, your mum is the alpha, but I also sensed that your father is an alpha. Are each one of you going to rule over one of your parents’ packs?” This is something that I have wondered about for some time now. Am I going to have to split my time with each of them? That’s if we decide to pursue this mating thing.
She puts her hand on my thigh, drawing circles with her thumb. “No. Dad’s pack is in Spain. When he met Mum, he decided to leave. There were trials, and his twin won and became alpha. His twin was supposed to be a part of the royal council, but circumstances changed. Our uncle is... A nerd. A big nerd who loves history and books. He would have made a great council member due to his knowledge. My great-uncle wanted to become the alpha, but he is unhinged. So...You know.”
I hmm along, enjoying listening to her speak. “Dean and I will take our mum’s pack. We cannot be separated; there is a stronger connection between us, way stronger than my dad and his twin. We are Leto wolves, more powerful than your normal alpha wolf.”
I stop at the red light and look in the review mirror. The same car has been following us for some time now. I tense, alarm bells sound off in my mind, and I look at Victoria. “Someone is following us. The black Toyota sedan has been on our tail since we left the penthouse.
