Fated Mates - Tumblr Posts

Oh my gosh this series is so good. The world building is really cool and fresh. I absolutely love the main character and that you have created a hybrid supernatural and mystery fic. I can't wait to read more.

OTHER HALF | Part 4

Pairing: Yoongi X Reader | Werewolf AU

Word Count: 3.2k

Warnings: rumours, abduction, pining, heartbreak, and descriptions of gore/death/crime.

Genre: Werewolf AU, Drama, Mates

Summary: Some gossip gives you an insight to the criminals you’re hunting, as well as the man who would have been yours. You gain a new partner and lose a friend.

Masterlist

************

Gangwon Jeon

There’s a steady buzzing in your head as you try to push down what you’re feeling to focus on what’s at hand - getting close to the guests from the Daegu Nakdong Kang clan. The drugs Dr. Lee had initially prescribed were not enough to subdue your haywire emotions that fed your wolf’s restlessness. Your wolf wanted to go for a run.

To a specific place.

Where Namjoon was getting ready.

And pounce.

It didn’t help that the little old ladies from the Kangs were related to the Ilsan Kims, so you were around him despite not wanting to, and trying your best to avoid an encounter. You supposed you wished for too much, but what stung the most was the look of sneering disgust that crossed Namjoon’s face when he saw you around his extended relatives. You supposed he figured you were desperate for his attention. No thank you sir, I’ve got enough to handle. And fuck you very much. Bye.

Aunty Kim was a relatively harmless nosy old lady from the Kangs you latched on to. She seemed receptive to your attention after you rescued her from an unfortunate food spill, and was ready to start chattering, if only her dementia didn’t come in the way…

“It was really sad you know..the whole clan in misery…from all the grieving. The Seos had no shame in showing their kids off… just because you have a pair of alphas...I always say you need to be humble, or you’ll attract the evil eye. Neither mother nor kids had any qualms about that. I know it’s not good to talk about the dead like that, but they had it coming to them. That Eunsik boy would go around challenging anyone to a fight. Eunhyo would butt heads with the boys far too much… It isn’t ladylike, absolutely no breeding. And look where that got them! The boy dead and the girl, likely dishonoured. Which girl would willingly show her face to her folks after that?”

You’d murmur sympathetically, to keep her talking.

“Alpha Kang had warned the family too, to rein in their kids, especially Eunhyo. She would lead guys on and around and then drop them. That girl even had the audacity to fight Alpha Kang’s nephew. Women in good families should know their place, not pick fights and create conflicts. I shouldn’t say this about the dead, but the Seo kids were made an example of,in my opinion. I don’t know who. Most of the clan kids were at home, or school. It could be a complete  stranger too. That's what happens when there's a lot of bad blood around…", Aunty Kim went on in the same spiel for a good amount of time before dozing off over her knitting. You wrapped her shawl comfortably around her and adjusted her position over the couch, texting another of the Jeon cousins to keep an eye on the old lady, before slipping away.

Both Seo Eunsik and Eunhyo were Alpha children, and apparently they acted like it, despite having no real position of power in their pack. Usually such behavior was curbed early to preserve clan hierarchies but it appears that didn't happen. If they rubbed someone the wrong way, it could have easily been a hate crime. But that doesn't explain why Eunhyo was missing… unless...the perpetrators wanted to continue the humiliation?

You settled under a tree in a corner of the pack house grounds and pulled your phone out to check the pictures of Eunsik's post mortem report. The gruesome pictures of the corpse loaded over your screen, and you sat scanning them minutely to find anything that you could work with. So much that you didn't realize someone was peering over your shoulder.

"Whoa! What IS that?"

You turned to find Min Yoongi standing behind the tree peeking at your phone, hands in his pockets. He looked like he was going to be sick.

"They're pictures from the crimes I was telling you about, yesterday", you explained, shutting it off and turning to greet him with a smile. Your senses were majorly dulled with the suppressant medication Dr. Lee had put you on, but that didn't prevent you from reacting a little bit to Min Yoongi.

He smelled pleasant. Goosebumps arose across your back and arms, as you took his presence in - medium height, but still enough to tower over you, a face with an understated elegance, a deceptively slight frame that concealed firm shredded musculature (your mind helpfully supplying you with memories from the patching up session in the Jeep) and deep, kind eyes that spoke more than his expressions did. Your wolf with her frayed nerves wanted to curl up next to him. She found him safe. Weird female.

Maybe Yoongi hadn't paid attention to your slightly flustered state as he chose to focus on the pictures, "They honestly look gruesome. Who is that? I know who the victims are from what Park Jimin told me, but that's it. I thought you were dealing with abductions?"

"One of the abductions included the murder of one of the girls' twin brother. His body was found in the river. I’m trying to examine it to see if I can gather anything from it".

Yoongi nodded, and held his hand out, "May I?"

You hesitated for a bit, since it was supposed to be confidential. You didn’t know much about him except the short snippets he’d told you the night before. But if Jimin had already spoken of it to Min Yoongi, it probably would be of no harm? You slid your phone out, unlocked it and showed the pictures to him. The grimace on his face softened a bit to make way for seriousness as he examined it.

You totally did not pay attention or grow redder at the proximity you both had. Nope. Not at all. Just the hormones. Focus, bitch. You turned your attention back to the phone.

The body having been bloated and exposed to the elements in the river water was a wreck, but there was no mistaking the single slit that ran across the boy’s throat. Lacerations on either side of his neck, his hands and feet bruised as though he was held down… there was definitely a struggle, and the cut wasn’t clean. “It either is a wolf’s work or was made to look like one.” Yoongi stated, returning the phone to you.

“Made to look like one?”

“To throw people off trail”, he explained. “Water gets rid of all scent, so the only clues you would have to the killer would be through the weapon used”

Strange, you mused. That was probably why they chose to attack close to water bodies. And… Eunsik’s death was too haphazard for someone whose abductions were so clean. But the twins were playing hooky from school, right? If these abductions were intentional, then the kidnappers would probably have waited around their school, or tried to catch them at a different location. It probably wouldn’t have differed too much from Lee Chaeryung’s disappearance. Maybe they had to improvise, and didn’t prepare a way to handle Eunsik properly?

Yoongi watched you think curiously. “What’s the verdict, doc?” he asked. “I’m not a doc, Yoongi-ssi! I’m just mid-training to be a medic. It seems to me that whoever killed this boy didn’t account for his presence during the abduction. Otherwise they wouldn’t have left any traces. All previous crime scenes were clean.”

“Can I take another look at the pictures?” Yoongi asked you.

You nodded and passed the phone to him. “Do you know any of the Daegu Nakdong Kangs?", you asked.

"I'm familiar with some of them, and have visited their territory as a kid. It isn't far from the Daegu Min region. Why?"

"I may pay them a visit"

Yoongi smoothly added his number to your phone, saying, "Let me know when you do, I'll take you around".

You blinked. Were you overthinking? "Uh, sure!" You replied.

He still hadn't finished with your phone. Something struck him, and he leaned over to show it to you "Look at the bruises on his arms and feet. He was definitely held down before his throat was slit. Clearly someone bigger and heavier, judging by the hand size."

You took in his big veiny hands in contrast to his slender figure and raised your eyebrows mischievously at him, getting an eye roll in return. "So if he was being held down, there must have been a second or third person subduing the girl while they handled this boy. It appears both twins were strong. There's no way one person can handle two energetic young alphas." He finished.

As you considered his words, you realised you had to speak to Park Jimin tonight.

______

The Night of the Seeking

Tonight was one of the many events that comprised a mating ceremony, the seeking. The engaged would enter the woods at dusk from different points, and the man was expected to seek out, mark and claim his mate with all the elements of nature in witness. It sounded pretty archaic, but what was conducted these days was a modernised version- the seeking out and marking would happen in the woods, and the couple were left to consummate the claiming in peace and privacy later. If it was meant to be, a wolf would always be led to his mate, elders claimed.

Obviously there was NO WAY you were going close to the woods anytime soon. Your poor wolf needed the distance and perspective and you needed a damned break to reign in the hormones pushing you to claim him. The marking would be witnessed by people from both sides scattered in the woods. Huh.

You holed yourself up in your room, going through everything you and Min Yoongi had discussed, and gave Park Jimin a call. His honey sweet voice rang in your ears on the third ring.

“Hello? Y/N?

“Good evening, Jimin-ssi! I’m calling you to request something in the investigation of the girls”, you said.

“Oh, okay, hang on”, you heard some shuffling. “Right, I’ve got a notebook. Go on, tell me”

“Basically, the abductions of the three girls were extremely clean, and hardly any evidence was left behind. However, in the case of Seo Eunhyo and Eunsik, they left Eunsik’s body behind, and it became a possible source of evidence. So the abductions were clearly a pre-planned affair. Only, in Seo Eunhyo’s case, their plan went off track and they had to improvise”

“Yes...go on?”, you heard paper rustle over the call.

“They had to improvise because the kids played hooky from school. Which means at some point they may have made a plan to abduct Eunhyo from the school itself. So it was done by someone who had some knowledge of the twins’ whereabouts, at least publicly, but not enough to know what they got up to at the river”

“Hmmm… okay??”

“Consider some adults watching the twins around school, and maybe following them around at a distance to get an idea of their routes. Someone not necessarily a local, or they would have known about their riverside excursions. This person would have kept an eye on them for a few days and made preparations accordingly.”

“So what if this person was connected to the school they went to? If we investigate there, perhaps we can find some evidence of provisions made to abduct the girl? It could be a method very similar to Lee Chaeryung. Someone may have noticed something out of place, or a newcomer hanging around.”

“Also, if the perpetrator had to take action near a river, and judging by how hastily they disposed of Eunsik’s body, they probably weren’t well prepared for a river. So our perpetrators may carry signs of the river back with them in their getaway vehicle, like traces of algae, river silt and stones, etc. We are potentially looking at two or three people acting together.” you finished with an exhale.

“Okay. So we’re looking for newcomers/non-locals visiting the Daegu Nakdong Kang territory around that month on some pretext, either in pairs or more. They may have hung around the school as they may have planned the abduction there. We’re looking for anyone who noticed something unusual in the days leading to the abduction and murder in the area. And maybe anyone who suddenly rented a vehicle or boat, or made sudden purchases on that day”, Jimin summarized.

“Yes. Thank you, Jimin-ssi. Oh, and one last thing.”

“Please check the weather reports if there was rain anytime before or after the event. They may have planned it on a rainy day to wash off scent traces, but may have had to alter the date as well. We may need to establish why.”

“Got it. Thank YOU, Y/N-ssi. You’ve brought a new perspective to this, just as we hoped. I’ll keep you posted on what we find out”

“Thank you, Jimin-ssi. Good night!”

**********

Bathed, changed and moisturised, you were fully prepared to retire for the night. You heard dull cheers and whoops in the distance as the Seeking started. Get it together, Y/N. You chose to agree to this. Shaking off a spark of hurt blooming inside you, you’d climbed into bed, plugged in your earphones and gone to sleep.

Not even an hour had passed when you heard an urgent rapping on your door. Rousing yourself from your deep slumber, you opened your room door to find a frantic looking Jungkook outside.

“Noona, have you seen Joohyun anywhere?”

“No I didn’t, Kookie. I haven’t seen her since this morning, in fact. Wasn’t she with you?”

A bad feeling started creeping up your back. Your wolf was roused, hackles raised. Jungkook shook his head, round eyes glistening with panicky tears.

“I was a bit relieved she wasn’t following me around today. But then I realised she wasn’t anywhere. That’s weird for her. When we went into the woods for Joon-hyung’s Seeking, I found her bag near the lake. She wasn’t around, so I looked for her to give it back”

In his hands was a Birkin handbag, the same one that Joohyun was talking about enthusiastically the previous day. It had her phone, some cosmetics and a bracelet she was known to keep with her. She was never without her phone, atleast. “ I didn’t want to raise an alarm yet. So I tried tracking her scent myself. And I couldn’t find her anywhere. I smelt her last near the lake.”

The worst thing that could have happened, popped into your head. You had to find her stat. A face popped into your mind, as you threw on a shirt and trousers, and made your way to the outskirts of the woods, where the guests were milling around. Some of them had gone in as “witnesses”, but luckily, you found Min Yoongi waiting with his cousins and father, dressed in black from top to toe.

Min Yoongi had turned around, his nostrils flaring at your scent - he registered that you were showing some pre-heat symptoms.Understanding dawned. But, he wasn’t the only one. Other males in the vicinity had also turned their gazes to you expectantly. Gritting his teeth, he grabbed your elbow and pulled you away from the crowd to a distance. “Not to be disrespectful, Y/N-ssi, but are you insane? You’re in NO position to be out here, it’s dangerous!” he chided.

“Yoongi-ssi, I would not be out here if the situation did not demand it. Do you know Choi Joohyun?”

“That gossipy teenager? Congressman Choi’s grandchild? What about her?”

You held up the Birkin and said “She’s missing”

Min Yoongi swore under his breath. It was time to search the woods properly. If she wasn’t found, raise the alarm.

**********

You, Jungkook and Yoongi had searched the packlands frantically, but the only traces of Joohyun’s scent in the area was at least a day old, and confined to the pack house and mating ceremony celebration areas. You had to search the woods once, before declaring her missing.

A lot of people were going to be affected tonight. The three of you split up to cover different parts of the woods, starting from the lake where Jungkook found her things.

As you covered your stretch of the woods for any traces of the teenager, you felt a hand grip you, and turned to find Namjoon behind you. He was standing, eyes wild, chest heaving, nostrils flared. He looked glorious.

There was no fresh mark on his neck. His hunt through the woods had brought the faint scent of your pre-heat to him, and he’d made a beeline for you instead of Somin.

This was a disaster. Your wolf whimpered. He shook his head to get a grip on himself, before glaring at you, breathing harshly. “I told you we can’t work. What are you doing here? Are you out to ruin my mating? Are you that desperate?”

Anger coursed through you, bringing the sting of rejection right back up, as your wolf howled angrily. Using all your willpower, you pushed him away. “No, I’m not here for you. A girl has gone missing - Choi Joohyun. Congressman Choi’s granddaughter. We’ve been searching the woods for her.”

“Even your excuses are creative - “

“GET AWAY FROM HER”

An alpha voice rang out, causing Namjoon to force himself back. He looked shocked, as very few wolves had the ability to compel him, especially away from a mate. You turned to find Min Yoongi stalking towards the two of you fuming.

He planted himself between you and Namjoon, facing him squarely and said, “As Y/N told you, Congressman Choi’s granddaughter has gone missing. Alpha Jeon has halted the ceremony. You’re needed at the main halls. Everyone’s gathering to figure out how to find the girl.”

He stood resolutely in front of you until Namjoon walked away reluctantly, a vein about to burst in his jaw. His suspicious glances at you and Yoongi seemed to add to his anger.

And once Namjoon was out of your sight, Yoongi rounded on you. “Y/N-ssi, I need you to listen to me. We’ve got the entire pack and guests searching for the girl now. I understand that this is your investigation, but you most certainly aren’t in the best state. You’ll likely get pounced on by any horny idiot with bad self control, and you won’t even be in a position to fight him off.”

“I can - “ you began protesting when he gripped your shoulder. “Please, Y/N-ssi. I’ll keep you updated every hour, and speak to Jimin as well. Please go to your room and lock yourself in. I need you to listen to me, for your sake”

You sighed at the dead-serious look on his face, and let him lead you out of the woods, till your room. He didn’t leave till he saw that you had secured every door and window, taken your meds and locked the door firmly.

It was after you tucked yourself in that you realised, between you and Namjoon, he had used his alpha voice to send Namjoon away and not when he tried to get you back to your room, which would have been the easier option. Flashes of the night so far continued to plague you, of Namjoon finding you instead of Somin, accusing you of sabotaging his mating, sweet little Joohyun vanishing, Jungkook’s tears and the bitter pain of it all. Your wolf whined - the events of the evening were a lot for her. Taking a deep breath, you typed out a series of messages to Grandpa Jeon, Congressman Bang, Park Jimin and Min Yoongi on what you knew, before the medicines kicked in and you drifted off to an uneasy sleep.

the lottery offering

Rating: M Pairing: Jeongguk/You Words: 22,334 Summary:  “I volunteer,” you say softly, gasps rising up from the crowd behind you.  You can hear some of your tribe members burst into tears, some mutterings of thank the gods.  Out of the corner of your eye, you can see Elder Choi smiling smugly.  “Are you sure, child?” Alpha Kim asks gravely, “Are you ready to leave all this behind?  You will not be able to come home.”  You internally scoff.  Home.  This place hasn’t been home in years.“I am sure, Alpha Kim.  I volunteer to be the offering this year,” you confirm, voice unwavering. AN: i’ve been working on this for too long and it ITSELF is too long i literally just wanted to write about big dick jeongguk why am i like this Warnings: jeongguk is an alpha, there’s like a hint of beastiality? you don’t actually get fucked by a wolf though you just want to be lol, lots of gratuitous sex and overall cheesiness because jk is still a goofball, pussy eating, finger, edging, overstim? maybe? or at least a poor attempt at it, blowjobs, vaginal sex and knotting, i’m not sure if i have to warn about anything else, also major warning i read through this SO quick i was tired of looking at it i’m sorry

When one of the Elders asks for you to meet in their cabin after dinner, your heart sinks to your feet.  The Elders, and most of your tribe for that matter, don’t go out of their way to speak to you, so for one of them to call upon you can’t be good news.

You don’t eat much, stomach twisting violently as you sit in a secluded corner, immune to the chattering around you.  Maybe today is the day they kick you out.  It’s no secret your tribe doesn’t like you, your orphanism a major hurdle they’re unable to overcome, considering the scarce resources your tribe are reluctant to share with someone who’s unable to provide.

“Elder Choi,” you knock politely, bowing your head as you pop your head in, “You wished to see me?”

“Ah, yes, Y/N, come in child,” his voice is soft, giving no hint as to what’s to come, “Please, sit.”

You kneel on a pillow at his tea table, accepting the cup from him.  It’s silent as you both drink, your mind whirling as you try to think what’s about to happen.

“It will be your first Lottery tomorrow, yes?” he asks.

“Yes, Elder Choi,” you answer.

Keep reading

IRIDESCENT LOVE

From a fated meeting to a life filled with wonders, the path of discovery is much, much harder than what I had prepared myself for.

Especially when my identity, the only one I knew of ends up being a total lie.

CHAPTERS: INFO , 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , ...

BTS X READER

ALPHA/BETA/OMEGA AU

M/F , MULTI

RATED M

Find my masterlist here

Unpopular opinion:

I am a gwynriel shipper but I don’t want them to be mates.

For one the mating bond is overused in ACOTAR since it’s supposed to be a rare thing yet everyone is getting one.

Second, mates aren’t always perfect for eachother I mean look at Rhys’s parents.

I want Az and Gwyn to choose one another despite not being “perfect for each other” or chosen to be together.

“Fuck what the cauldron thinks I want that one.”

Breaking and Entering (1) - Lovren

Status: Ongoing Series

Chapter number: 1 of unknown

Word count for Chapter: 3,269

Word count for Story: 3,269

Genre: Werewolf

There are no chapter titles, but each chapter will have a name listed that indicates which POV the chapter is from. Mindlinks are in italics. Conversations with their inner wolf are in bold italics.

A little about the author: I am a mother of two beautiful children. One of which is special needs, and on 3/28, they lost 75% of their vision. I started a Patreon if you feel the heart to donate towards helping with the medical costs of appointments, medication, and modifications to the house, which insurance doesn't cover.

Warnings: (I am not good at this, but I will try. Let me know if I missed anything!!) NOT BETA READ!! This story will have a bit of angst, fluff, smut, f/m, and m/m. This chapter does mention parent death and foster care.

Side note: This is the first story I have ever written. Since I am laid up on pain meds from almost breaking my ankle, I thought I would share something with you, my dearest readers. This will be posted on my Patreon as well. I hope you enjoy it!

BREAKING AND ENTERING MASTER LIST

LDYSMFRST MASTER LIST

High school was the last milestone for youth everywhere. Mine happens to be at Lunar Ridge High. Like most high schools, there are three main cliques at LRH: The Clackers, The Worms, and The Invisibles. 

The Clackers are the popular students consisting of cheerleaders, prepsters, and jocks. I call them ‘The Clackers’ because the girls always wear high heels that clack on the school floor, announcing their presence wherever they go. 

The jocks and male prepsters are also classified as Clackers because where a Clacker girl is, you will find a Clacker guy. They follow them, acting like a starving dog after a juicy steak. It is disgusting and barbaric, but hey, they are teenage boys. What else would you expect?

The Worms are all the nerdy students, such as spelling bee champs, straight-A students, and World Peace-type kids. They controlled all the science labs throughout the day. If they were not there, they took over the bleachers and discussed the newest technology or scientific discovery. 

Oddly enough, though, LRH never really had a plethora of Worms in the Library, just hanging out and reading random stuff. Most were in and out as if staying longer would get them unwanted attention. 

Last and most certainly least is The Invisibles. The name should explain itself. They tend to be more intelligent and politically inclined to be a Worm but are “sneaky” about it. They don’t qualify in looks, popularity, or athleticism to be considered a Clacker; therefore, they are Invisible to everyone. Imagine every Invisible to act like Violet from “The Impossibles,” just disappearing whenever they need to. 

We won’t talk about the Outcasts because, technically, they belong to one of the three main groups but just rebel and refuse to fall into a clique. I always thought it was safer to fall into one but hide almost in plain sight. It kept people from asking questions, and well… I got left alone for the most part. 

One of the main reasons it was easy for me to pick a clique at LRH was because the Clackers and the Worms looked like they belonged on the cover of Italian Vogue. It was like some kinda fashion week was happening year-round. I swear this town must have something in the water or really outstanding genetics. 

This is strange because if they all pulled from the same genetic pool, then those crazy stories of deformed kids due to incest and such didn’t apply here, even though it was scientifically proven.

The LRH campus should belong in the middle of a metropolis, not some dinky mountain town. 

A strange thing about LRH is the lack of fencing around the school. There is nothing to define the edge of the school grounds. It has a vast parking lot out front and a large field that leads to a beautiful forest mountain range in the back. They don’t seem to care about people (or wildlife) coming and going as they please. 

It makes me curious about how the school deals with truancies. 

LRH is also the cleanest school in the history of schools, even with its large campus, which includes five double-story buildings, a pool, and a soccer field. 

The first buildings you see at LRH are the café and the gymnasium. Both are single-story buildings with very dynamic renderings of running wildlife—no, I take that back: running wolves. It is a beautiful mural, and with all the howling at night around this town, it makes perfect sense they chose wolves as the focus. 

Between them sits the administration building, the tallest building on campus, and in Lunar Ridge. The admin building is the only part of the school that is open year-round at 6:00 a.m., closes at 6:00 p.m., and allows anyone in town to come in and check out books. 

With its impressive size, the admin building is a gateway to the school. It is a significantly modernized building for a city this size. It has floor-to-ceiling windows, which creates a very open and welcoming feeling. It also has a 13 Ghosts-styled glasshouse creepiness to it. 

The first floor holds the typical High School admin offices, and the second through fourth floors contain the town library with pristine glass walls. If you love books, it is a breathtaking view not only because of the view from the windows but also because of the stacks of books inside. 

The top floor is restricted. 

Only those with a special badge can open the elevators, and business people come and go like it’s the Town Hall. Unlike the other floors, the top level looked like it had a glassy material, but you couldn’t see into it like the other floors. If it is the Town Hall, it makes sense that privacy must be needed. 

The cluster of buildings on the other side of the parking lot from the school would be considered the bustling town of Lunar Ridge. It is a simple town. There is a Main Street center, a few convenience and gas combo stores, two grocery stores, a twin drive-in movie theater, and a large city park with an aquatic center. 

There wasn’t even a “Starbucks” or “Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf” in sight, and the closest mall was in the next town over, wherever that is.

I live in Lunar Ridge with the Moores family: Rachel, Jonathan, and their daughter Selena. 

Selena is about three months older than me. She is the LRH varsity cheerleading co-captain, and she has the classic Barbie doll look—platinum blonde hair, crystal blue eyes, and perky body features—a carbon copy of Rachel. 

Rachel was the Varsity Cheerleader Captain when she attended LRH and doesn’t seem to age… at all. If you compare the photos of her on the walls to how she looks now, you would think she was her own younger sister. She works part-time as a receptionist for LRH to “keep herself busy.”

On the other hand, Johnathan probably was a Worm, possibly a jock Clacker, back in the day and is the current Lunar Ridge Police Chef. Come to think of it, I never see him in a police uniform, just all-black bouncer-type clothes. He has pitch-black hair with some gray showing that looks more like silver strokes of lightning. 

John has the brightest, friendliest brown eyes on the planet. He loves Rachel and Selena to the ends of the earth, and you can tell they love him back just as much. Jonathan welcomes me the most out of all the Moores family, making staying here a little more bearable. 

Selena is dating the soccer team captain, Mitchell “Mitch” Gunner. Mitch is your typical soccer guy, standing about 6’ 2” with a runner’s body. You wouldn’t know that he is buff until you see him practice. Then, you can finally see the rippling muscles under his sun-kissed skin. His eyes are blue but more dark blue than Selena’s crystal blue. However, their hair color seems like they got the same dye job. 

Mitch is also one of the only “kids” I know who has a badge for the private elevator at the library. Don’t ask me why.

Mitch and Selena were always the ones that had the most significant Clacker following. They both had suitors crushing on them regularly. They tried their best to gain a moment of their attention despite the lack of care from either Mitch or Selena. The followers acted as if their happiness depended on the presence of Selena or Mitch. 

Strangely enough, neither one of them hung out together in or out of school. Sure, they acknowledged each other in the halls, but you would not have pegged them as friends. 

That all changed at Selena’s 18th birthday party. Everyone and their brother seemed to be at the Moores’ home for the party. I stayed in my room for the party, especially since I wouldn’t stay long. I had only been with the Moores’ for about two months, and I didn’t want to deal with explaining who I was. 

Apparently, I missed out on something huge. 

Now, all of a sudden, Selena and Mitch go everywhere together. They are together at the park, at the house, and everywhere, and all their suitors suddenly stop pursuing them. It was as if there was a switch that intensified everything between them. It suited me just fine because that meant fewer people to avoid over the rest of the summer break. 

Selena continued blabbering about how they were High School Royalty because they were the first senior couple. It has done wonders for their egos, and I am surprised they can still fit through a doorway.

No, I am not related to the Moores. 

They are foster family number eleven, but then again, who’s counting? I can hardly remember anything about my parents besides what the incident report tells me. All it tells me is that they died on the scene of a car accident while on their way home. 

I was only seven when it happened, and every time I try to get a copy of the report, it is always blacked out. The doctors say I can’t or won’t be able to remember much of my life before the accident because of something to do with the Post-Traumatic Stress of losing them. I do know they were my only family, so I got put into the foster system. 

The Moores are considered family number eleven because I don’t belong as an add-on. I wouldn’t have lost my parents if the powers-that-be wanted me in a family. 

The foster families never seemed to care about spending much time with me or treating me like family, so why stick around? I made life exciting for me; besides, something in me never felt quite settled with the families I was dumped into. This leads to the main reason why I have been with so many families: I guess it aggravates the foster families when the cops keep bringing you home.  Then they don’t want you anymore as it is too much drama for them, even though I was just a paycheck. 

Before you know it, you are off to the next family to help them pay for their rent or addiction. 

Eleven families in ten years means I am with most families for less than a year. I don’t even count families I stay with for under three months. So far, I have lasted with the Mors for four months, officially making them family number eleven. 

My name is Lovren, which means “dear secret” in Old English, but I tend to go by Ren. No, I don’t care to have a last name. The foster system decided my surname would be that of whatever family I was with at the time. I have been with one too many to remember. 

So, technically, my last name is Moores. 

I am seventeen and have fair skin with some freckles splattered about. I stand at 5’9” and weigh about 240 lbs, most of which is in my butt and my thighs. I guess I am what some people call “curvy” or fat; which one they use depends on if they are talking to me or talking about me. 

I am proudly one of the few Invisible seniors at LRH. 

I was placed in the middle of Nowheresville in late spring, and because my grades are always stellar, I didn’t need to attend LRH for the remainder of my junior year. Besides, it would have annoyed everyone if I left before my 3-month “trial period” ended.  

When I moved in, the Moores gave me Selena’s old room, including her bedroom set, and, this time, I could bring most of my clothes. I only bring a little with me from house to house. It makes things easier for me. I want to save time and effort about little items getting lost. 

The only thing necessary to me is the only picture I own, and it is one of my mother and father in their engagement photo with me in her baby bump.

Honestly, I swear the system put me with this family and this town because they didn’t think I could cause much trouble. Don’t they know idle hands are the devil’s work?

My favorite place in this whole teeny tiny town is the library. I like to sit on the fourth floor in the southeast corner. There is a desk with a Mac, a comfy loveseat, and a perfect town view. I discovered it when I first moved here. I love watching the dark shadows return to the mountains as the sun wakes the town. 

In the few months I have been here, I have never seen anyone, aside from the random cop-looking guys, in this section of the library. They are all pleasant and leave me alone. I am not sure if it is because I am just sitting there “behaving” or if Jon told them who I was. 

My go-to section is the Romance and Fantasy section. All the shifter, vampire, and magic-styled romance, erotica, and adventure stories that I could read were my secret obsession. 

Sadly, with school starting today, I must be reasonable and focused on my studies. I had one of the highest GPAs in all my previous schools and want to keep that up. I don’t want anyone to know because I don’t want to be noticed by The Worms. 

I also need to figure out a way for the school board not to want me to be valedictorian. However, I only have eight more months before the Moores inevitably find some reason to kick me out. This means I will not be graduating from LRH, so what’s the point of fitting in and finding friends?

I have my day already figured out. 

Since I am a senior, they let me pick my class schedule. When not hiding in the library before and after school, I sit in the back corner of my classes nearest the exit. I prefer sitting there because I can get in and out of my classes without bumping into anyone. Like every new school, the teachers will keep trying to get me to participate. 

Most students who “are like me” don’t care to pay attention, get into trouble, and fail their classes. They were wrong about one thing: I wouldn’t fail any of my classes. My teachers typically learn not to call on me because I don’t want to answer their questions. I wouldn’t put it past some of the student body to end up thinking I am mute and probably dumb. 

I’m lucky to have a free period right before lunch, making it easy to get my food before anyone else even gets out of class. It will also allow me to go into the library to eat by myself without anyone noticing. I am pretty sure the librarian knows I have eaten inside over the summer break. Still, she’s never said anything to me. I hope now that school starts, she doesn’t decide to have a problem with it. I always ensure it looks like I was never there when I leave the area. 

Then again, that is how I tend to live everywhere I visit, hence my being Invisible. Now that you are up to speed let’s move on.

My routine will be simple; I will do it on autopilot after the first week. I wake up at 5:30 a.m., shower, get dressed, maybe get something to eat, and go to school. Today is the first day of my last year of High School. My clothing choices are mostly the same in style and color. 

Today, it consists of black ladies-styled boxer shorts with a matching black jersey knit sports bra. Black bootcut jeans, a black tank top tucked in with a deep purple crop top with sleeves made with black lacing that ends slightly past my fingertips. My outfit is complete with black Doc Martens and a pullover hoodie with an artist rendering of Harley Quinn in Joker colors, purple and green. 

My favorite colors are black and purple, and yes, I always like to layer my clothes like a Russian Nesting Doll. Trust me, layering my clothes is beneficial in many ways.

My brown wavy hair isn’t long enough to put into a tie and have all of it stay, so I brush it out and pray it doesn’t frizz. I don’t wear any makeup. After all, I don’t want to be teased by everyone for trying to be like The Clackers because I sure as heck don’t have the body for it. 

The absence of all makeup also allows me to draw less attention to my eyes, which is my favorite asset. I always thought my eyes were the one part of me that connected me to my parents. 

Why avoid others noticing? 

Because making eye contact with someone always turns the conversation from a pleasant one into a retelling of the story of my parent’s death. Ultimately, it always became a pity party that started because they wanted to know how I got to have two different colored eyes. 

One eye is brown, like muddy water, and the other is green, like smashed peas. I have learned that avoiding eye contact is the best thing to do, although it seems to make me stand out here even more since most of the talking at Lunar Ridge involves either staring at each other or staring off into space. 

Running downstairs, I grab my black leather backpack and a Monster Java Energy Drink. Don’t judge; Javas are my secret to being a morning dove, not a chronically exhausted pigeon since I have always been a night owl. 

I am out the door at 6:15 a.m. before anyone else in the house wakes up. Successfully avoiding the morning chitchat. 

“How did you sleep?”

“What are you doing today?” 

“Do you remember blah blah blah?”

I hate forced conversations with Rachel and Selena. When I talk with Jonathan, they never seem forced. It’s like he cares and is interested in what I will say instead of just wanting me to sit and listen to him rant or boast about whatever is happening like the rest of this house.

My classes don’t start until 8 a.m. because getting a zero period would gain Worm awareness of my presence. So I have plenty of time to walk to school. Selena has a Mustang that is bright pink and white. Her “pony,” as she calls it, is a typical Clacker car that I wouldn’t be caught dead in, don’t worry; the feeling is mutual.

Surprise, surprise, I don’t have a car, nor do I want to catch the bus. So yes, I walk by myself in the wee hours of the morning. Besides, I like the walk even though the Moores’ house is on the opposite side of the town. I enjoy seeing the quaint Main Street shops before the people start buzzing around. 

I know I tend to rag on this town's being small, secluded, and plain lost, but in a way, it allows me to feel calm. Watching the shops prepare to open, smelling the fresh bread from the bakery, and feeling the fresh morning dew relaxes my soul as I walk every morning. 

I have no doubt you have figured out that I like to keep to myself as much as possible. Walks like this allowed me to enjoy my last bit of alone time before facing the crowded school where I would be crammed into seven hours a day, five days a week.

((edited 9/14/24))

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Breaking and Entering (2) - Mikhail

Status: Ongoing Series

Chapter number: 2 of unknown

Word count for Chapter: 3,384

Word count for Story: 6,653

Genre: Werewolf

There are no chapter titles, but each chapter will have a name listed that indicates which POV the chapter is from. Mindlinks are in italics. Conversations with their inner wolf are in bold italics.

A little about the author: I am a mother of two beautiful children. One of which is special needs, and on 3/28, they lost 75% of their vision. I started a Patreon if you feel the heart to donate towards helping with the medical costs of appointments, medication, and modifications to the house, which insurance doesn't cover.

Warnings: (I am not good at this, but I will try. Let me know if I missed anything!!) NOT BETA READ!! This story will have a bit of angst, fluff, smut, f/m, and m/m. This chapter does mention sibling death and A/b/o dynamics.

BREAKING AND ENTERING MASTER LIST

LDYSMFRST MASTER LIST

Wake up, train with warriors, train with my father, then train with healers, watch the perimeter with the guards, take school lessons with tutors, and finally sleep again. Oh, and eating does happen somewhere within all of that. This routine has been my life since I was ten years old. 

The only things that changed were the subjects of my studies with the tutors and the intensity of my training. As I got older, the training with my father became more about attending meetings with him in his office. He said it was time to focus less on teaching me how to do the job and more on showing me how to do the job right. 

My father’s office is in the tallest building in Lunar Ridge. It is on the top floor, and even though the floor has three offices and a waiting room, every wall is glass. The building was made strategically with protection in mind. It has five levels, and all the outer walls are glass, allowing the guards to see the town without restriction.

My father wanted a 360-degree view without much obstruction. Unlike the lower levels with transparent walls, this floor was built with one-way glass, similar to those in interrogation rooms. 

He also had them put some film on the inner walls that could turn dark at the push of a button for very private meetings. He refused to compromise his ability to have privacy when needed, even with his desire to have a clear view of the pack grounds.

For my father, it’s all about control and safety. 

For me, it's a reminder of the weight that would soon be on my shoulders. 

To my close friends, I called my father's office “the looking glass” because it allowed me to watch all the other kids come and go over the last several years. 

That is when it hit me: I was not like everyone else my age, as most typically attend schools outside of their houses with teachers and classmates. 

The school I saw from my looking glass, Lunar Ridge High, was quiet in the last two months because of a summer break. According to my father, I never had this period of freedom from studies because I was “behind” in my lessons. Therefore, I didn't have the luxury to go on a break. 

I missed watching the students fill the walkways, clumping together, laughing, and rushing to their classrooms to learn the next thing—a world that I, Mikhail, had never experienced.

That's me, Mikhail Stanislavic Dushenko, the only living son of Alpha Stanislav and the next Alpha to rule over the Lunar Ridge Pack. 

When my older brother, Stefan, was killed by the nearby pack, my carefree life turned upside down. Let me give you a bit of background. 

If you couldn't tell by my name, my family comes from Russia. My great-grandfather led his pack to this small ghost of a town and turned it into the lively town you see today.

Why did he move the Lunar Ridge Pack here? That is a long story, but basically, my great-grandparents pissed off the Royal Council of Russia. My great-grandparents refused to promise my grandfather's life as a gift of peace to The Alliance between the werewolves and the vampires. That choice meant the pack was no longer under the protection of the Royal Council. 

This act of defiance started a free-for-all to claim the pack and the territory. Alpha Dmitry, my great-grandfather, offered to take whoever wanted to live free with him to America to stop the pack from being taken over or killed. Most of the pack fled with Alpha Dmitry, and those who didn't escape were never heard from again.

We don't know what happened to them. Anything really could have happened to those who stayed behind. They could have joined another pack, were forced to serve the Royal Council, or were murdered.

My older brother was next in line when a border patrol went wrong. 

My father, Alpha Stanislav, and his best friends, Beta Christopher, and Gamma Jonathan, had taken Stefan out for a run. They went along the borders to show him exactly how far our territory went for the hundredth time. Following the edges of the province, they passed by the falls, went through some mountain ranges, and back around the forest, ending at the packhouse near the main road of Lunar Ridge.

It should have been a typical run.

During their run, they smelled a trespasser and thought it would be easy for the four of them to scare off the invader. Splitting up, they searched for the trespasser, and my brother found the source of the scent. 

This was a fatal mistake that changed the lives of everyone. 

The lone trespasser stood on the edge of Lunar Ridge territory, surrounded by others covered in mud, masking their scent. With his haunches raised using every inch of height he could muster, Stefan let out a warning howl, telling them to turn around and return to the other side of the border, less than fifty feet away. 

The hidden gang of invaders lunged at Stefan. They clawed, bit, and dragged him to the edge of our territory, pinning him down and causing him to howl in pain and agony. 

When our father reached them, the group leader eyed him coldly as he bit down and ripped Stefan's head from his body, then ran away like cowards. Howling in heartbreak, our father collapsed, holding my brother as Christopher and Jonathan secured the border with the rest of the guards, who came at the sound of Stefan’s last howl.

We recently discovered why this happened during a summit meeting with some of the surrounding pack leaders. The Alpha of the Blood Stone Pack had decided to take over the nearby packs to make a super pack. The tragic day was when that pack decided to test our borders. Turns out we weren’t the only pack that had their border tested. 

While the other packs had several injuries, Stefan had been the only casualty… so far. 

This is why my life changed when I was thirteen. 

My job now is to take over as Alpha of the Lunar Ridge Pack. 

Alphas were trained at the first sign of their wolf. Typically, they meet their wolf around three to four years old but don't shift until about six, like other males who meet and shift closer together. They are expected to take over their pack at age 21; by then, we should have found our mate, our Luna, and are ready to share the responsibility with them. During training, the Alpha and Luna pick out their Beta and Gamma for their council and learn to work together. 

This was different for me. 

My father is now older than most reigning Alphas because Stefan would have taken over years ago. As soon as I found my mate when she turned 18 and, by the blessings of the Moon Goddess, had learned to shift, I would need to take over. Then, the six of us would have to jump in head first and learn as we go.

Unlike the Blood Stone Pack and a few other packs stuck in traditional ways, not everyone in our pack was a shifter. Some in our pack have been moonmatched to humans, and because of this interspecies relationship the Moon Goddess has created, not all of their offspring were pups. 

It took some time, but we have figured out that males will meet their wolves and shift around the age of six, and females will meet their wolves and shift at 18 if either gender has a wolf to meet. 

After connecting with their wolf, everyone starts training to make the shift smooth and painless.

It is also mandatory for all pack members, regardless of gender and with a wolf or not, to take an introductory warrior class so that no one is defenseless.

Meeting your wolf tends to scare most individuals. 

Imagine a typical day, then the feeling like every movement you make is being watched by someone you cannot see. You can feel their presence, but the “meet” does not happen until they think you are ready to be with them. Sometimes, it's immediate; for others, it can take up to a month or more, and then afterward, you are never alone. 

During basic training, you learn to keep control and not allow your wolf's instincts to take over. 

Shifting—now that was a whole other experience. The males had to do it on their own; it was one of the few traditions that we followed. When they survived the fever and did their first shift without help, the Alpha and the rest of the pack would recognize this as their first showing of strength and potential. 

The smoother and faster the change, the more likely you would be a warrior. If not, you were a healer. Males were only assigned a station at age sixteen once they were fully mature. 

Females, however, rarely survived a shift alone.

This wasn’t because of the mindset that females are the weaker gender of a species. No, it was because females went through so many more changes at this time. Not only did they get their wolf, but they also went through another version of gaining their womanhood as wolves.

To help save the lives of the females in our pack, we always held a massive celebration for their coming of age. This increased the possibility of finding their moonmate. If they found their moonmate, he would help her through their first few shifts by removing some pain and lowering their fevers but using the new connection with their mate. Completing the mating bond happened at another time to not overwhelm the female.

If the female did not find their mate during the celebration, they had a choice. They could stay and try to survive the shift on their own, or they could leave the pack and travel to nearby packs in hopes of finding their mate before the fever sets in during the first full moon after their 18th birthday. 

All females with wolves underwent advanced warrior training and learned to fight with their wolves to some extent. By the time their training was over, their wolf had reached full maturity. Then, they were assigned a station to serve the pack best. 

Their stations were simple: warrior, healer, or omega. 

An omega station was any job not classified in the other two stations, such as a baker or receptionist. It is only assignable to she-wolves that do not fit the other classifications or the human mates within the pack. 

A healer station would be a position such as a nurse or a surgeon. A warrior station meant they would do patrols and act as the pack police. 

Unlike other nearby traditional packs, we allow our females to become warriors as they make exceptional leaders and work well in stealth-required situations. 

Being the younger son of an Alpha, I was more or less forgotten by everyone except my mother, Luna Ekaterina. Since I was five years younger than Stefan, I was too young to be his beta. Since Stefan was the oldest, I would never be the Alpha. 

When my wolf first came to me, it was the night of my fourth birthday. His name is Borya. Since I was not essential to the pack because of Stefan, I was left to my own devices. I became best friends with my wolf and soon could easily switch between who was in charge of my physical body. 

I was only five and a half when the fever hit, and it was time for my first shift. 

My mother wanted to be there, but I wanted to do it alone like everyone else did it. I didn’t care that it was happening earlier than anyone else. It was excruciating but only lasted a few moments. When I explained it to my mother, she said it must have been because my wolf and I were so close already, and there wasn't much to shift between us.

She thought that during the shift, I was forced to only make a physical change, not a mental or emotional change, because of how close my wolf and I were.

My training always seemed to get in the way of my brother, but I did whatever I could to keep up and prove myself. It wasn't long before I could shift as quickly as the adult warriors, and I was the fastest wolf in the pack.

Still, I held no importance to the pack. 

Shortly after, my father forbade me from training with the warriors because I was “too young” and it was not right for me to “show off.” Stefan was upset with me for being so in tune with my wolf and outshining him in training.  

In hindsight, having me stop training was a waste of time. 

After Stefan's death, the pack and my father looked to me to take over. I was a teenage boy with only two years of training as a warrior and zero years as an Alpha. 

My father should have been able to step down as the Alpha when I was sixteen. However, according to pack law and, well, werewolf law, I could not even think about taking over until I found my moonmate when she turned eighteen. 

So far, my father has had me attend every coming-of-age celebration since Stefan would have taken over. I was eighteen as of last week, though no one seemed to care except my mom and my only two friends. 

Borya and I could feel our mate was near, but we had no clue who or where she was. I was hoping she would make herself known soon. 

With triple training over the past five years, meeting a she-wolf was difficult.

Today, my father called me into his office at 7 a.m. because he had something important to tell me. As I stood in his office, I looked down below and saw a few students had started milling about, meaning school was back in session. 

Finally, the time in my father's office wouldn't be so dull anymore. 

I was early to the meeting and was watching the students below when my father, Beta Christopher, and Gamma Jonathan arrived. They were typically found together as they were the current pack counsel. 

This time, however, they were also accompanied by Gamma Jonathan's son-in-law, Mitchell, and Aliaksandr. Mitchell had been coming around more often. This was due to his only daughter turning eighteen over the summer break and being moonmatched to Mitchell. Since the matching, the two had become close.

You could see the pride that Jonathan had for Mitchell. 

I had gotten to know Mitchell over the summer after the moonmating, and we had become friends. I had decided that Mitchell, well Mitch, would become my Gamma. It was perfect that he was moonmatched to my father's Gamma's daughter, and he was right behind me in scoring strategy and strength in warrior training. 

Aliaksandr, however, was one of the only werewolves who could enter and fill the room with power that could practically parallel my own. He is my age, but he met his wolf, Zakhar, when protecting his little sister when he was five. He and his sister were trying to hide from the Hunter, who had broken into their house and killed their human mother. Zakhar went berserk and forced the shift with Aliaksandr. 

When the Hunter came to get his sister, Zakhar chased him out of the house and down the block. Afterward, his Alpha thought it best to separate his sister and him. It was well known that berserkers could become feral if they stayed around the one they were protecting when they went berserk. To avoid him becoming feral, my father allowed him to move into the packhouse and start training, which was shortly after I started my training the first time around. 

When I started training the second time, he worked with me during our free time to help me catch up. He always pushed me to do my best. After we started training together again, it was easy to see Aliaksandr would be my Beta. Someone as strong as him could easily lead the pack while I traveled for pack business or take over in my stead should I become injured.

The three of us have a powerful connection that rivals the Lunar Ridge Pack's current counsel, which is fantastic. However, we are still teenagers, and we goof off and tease each other but train like there is no tomorrow. We are comfortable enough with each other not to use formalities. We each have nicknames that we use, but if anyone else does it, they are in trouble. 

"Hello, Father,” I slightly bend at the waist, moving my hair off my neck and showing it to him. When my father nodded, I continued, “Beta Chris, Gamma Jon, and my counsel, anyone else joining us this morning?" I ask teasingly, looking past them. 

"No, it's just us, Misha. We have something we want to talk to you about," my father replied. “Your training has gone smoothly. You have an aptitude for being an Alpha, which your mother saw from the beginning, and you have chosen wisely for your counsel."

I smiled at Aliaksandr and Mitch, "Thank you, Father. I am doing my best for the honor of our pack and my brother. I want them to feel protected and cared for by the Dushenkos as they have always been."

"We got this, Miky," chimed in my Beta with a broad smile while elbowing Mitch in the side and earning a glaring smirk from me. Aliaksandr is the only person alive who gets away with calling me Miky.

"There is more to being an Alpha than being a protector. You have to know your pack. Most of your training has been with the wolves in the era of your brother, Stefan. You have been pushed to be a replacement for Stefan, but you are not. You are your own Alpha, and you, blessed by the Moon Goddess, have found your counsel that is your age and yet still advanced enough to be in their positions.”

“However, you need to relate with the pack  of your ages. You must in order to know how to protect, guide, and command them," my father paused, looking down at the students below and taking a deep breath. His eyes clouded over as he glanced at his counsel, to which they nodded. I knew they were mind-linking to each other.  

I looked to Mitch and Aliaksandr for any hint.

Hey guys, what is going on? Is everything okay?

Yeah, Misha, just let Alpha Stanislav finish what he has to say. It will all make sense soon, so don't worry. We will be right there with you the whole way. Mitch told me with a severe and straight face. 

What the heck was happening? Why are we all here? And now I am worrying since I was told not to. 

"Son," my father called me out of my inner thoughts.

"Yes, Papa? What is happening? Is everything okay?"

"Starting today, you are a senior at Lunar Ridge High. Your classes start in ten minutes."

"What? Seriously? I am going to high school. What about my training? Why now?" I ask in rapid fire. My face contorted in confusion.

"Enough!" boomed my father’s Alpha voice.

"Yes, Alpha Stanislav,” I said, dropping to a knee, “It just comes as a surprise."

Gamma Jonathan sighed and stepped forward. "You see, Misha, you haven't had a chance to bond with the pack—at least not the pack at your age. Your training is done. You are the best warrior, healer, and student we have seen in a long time. You must find your mate, and you must know your pack."

"It's time, Misha. Aliaksandr or Mitchell will be in each of your classes. Mingle and get to know everyone. You have seen them," my father said as he turned to look at the students gathering below. 

“Now it's time to join them. Make them proud, make me proud, and, most importantly, make Stefan proud."

((edited 9/14/24))

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Breaking and Entering (3) - Lovern

Status: Ongoing Series

Chapter number: 3 of unknown

Word count for Chapter: 1,808

Word count for Story: 8,461

Genre: Werewolf

There are no chapter titles, but each chapter will have a name listed that indicates which POV the chapter is from. Mindlinks are in italics. Conversations with their inner wolf are in bold italics.

A little about the author: I am a mother of two beautiful children. One of which is special needs, and on 3/28, they lost 75% of their vision. I started a Patreon if you feel the heart to donate towards helping with the medical costs of appointments, medication, and modifications to the house, which insurance doesn't cover.

Warnings: (I am not good at this, but I will try. Let me know if I missed anything!!) NOT BETA READ!! This story will have a bit of angst, fluff, smut, f/m, and m/m. This chapter does have a small amount of violence and comfort.

BREAKING AND ENTERING MASTER LIST

LDYSMFRST MASTER LIST

It’s the first day of school. 

I made it to school with plenty of time to spare. Unfortunately, because it was so close to summer, I did not get a chance to watch the sunrise. There would be time for that later when the days grew shorter. 

Since I am new to LRH and seemingly the only student here this early, I decided to walk around campus to find my classes. While I was lucky to get an open period before lunch, my luck ended there.  

Literally, every class was on the opposite side of each other.

So, not only can I not sneak in, but I must also dash across campus to be on time. I will definitely get my recommended 10,000 steps a day.

Slowly, I see students start arriving. 

Most drive nice-looking cars: Highlanders, F350s, Range Rovers, etc. I swear this school has more expensive cars than most cities that I have lived in. 

Glancing at my watch, I still have a few minutes before my zero period starts. It is time to hide in my spot until my classes start in about an hour. 

Walking towards the library, I recognize different cliques meeting up and gabbing about what kind of summer they had. Most of the zero-period students are Worms, which makes sense, and again, why I didn’t sign up for one. They try to fit as many classes into their day as possible to make their transcripts look good for Yale or Harvard. 

Making my way past the gym and into the front doors of the admin building, I cover my head with my hood and head for the non-private elevator. The lobby is already buzzing with official-looking people. Surprisingly, Mitch is there with another guy heading to the private elevator. 

Why is he here so early, why does he have a key card, and who is that other guy with him?  

I ponder Mitchell and his friend as the elevator takes me to the 4th floor. I find my spot and watch as the school below fills up. Since it still feels like summer, the girls wear shorter-than-short skirts and shorts or the occasional pair of leggings. They are clad in different variations of strappy tank tops, showing too much skin. The guys are in shorts or jeans, muscle shirts, or graphic tees. 

I swear this town belongs to Paris or some other fashion icon capital.

This means I will stick out like a sore thumb, awesome. 

Not.

All too soon, I hear the bell sounding at the end of zero period and announcing I have 10 minutes to get to my first class. Hood up, head down, and hands in my pockets, I make it to my first two classes without a hitch. 

There is an extra ten minutes between the second and third periods for brunch, but I head over to my next class, sit against the wall of lockers, and wait outside the door. 

That is when the day starts taking a dive for the worse. 

"Move out of my way. You're blocking my locker." 

Looking up, it is none other than my foster sister Selena with her mini troop of cheerleaders all sneering at me. 

Let me introduce Selena's followers. 

First, there is her best friend and co-captain, Donna. She looks like Selena, with the same body build, color, eyes, and skin tone. The only difference is Donna's sleek, fire-red hair with thick barrel curls. 

Then next would be Antonina, the shortest and best flier in the state. She has a typical cheerleader look, bleach blonde hair, is not as well endowed as Selena and Donna, and has the same crystal blue eyes. 

Last is their tag-a-long, as Selena called her. Her name is Trisha, and she is the Junior Varsity Cheer Captain. She does her best to fit in with Selena and her goons, dressing like them and coloring her hair to match whomever she needs to impress at the time. Over the summer, she seemed to grow into a young woman, meaning she didn't have to keep stuffing her bra.

Mumbling, "I’m sorry, I didn't know," I try to move as fast as I can out of her way, not wanting to cause a scene on my first day of school. I start walking to a set of benches in the sun.

"That's the charity case that I told you about. She has nothing and no one, so my parents decided she could take my old room and stuff to make them look good. Always trying to impress the big wolf," she said with a look of exaggerated pity on her face.

Not believing what she said or willing to let it slide, I turned around with my hands on my hips: "Well, it is not my fault they have a daughter who left them with emptiness in their hearts. I guess they needed me to feel complete."

With a sound almost like a growl, Selena stalks toward me faster than I have ever seen and slaps me, her nails drawing blood on my cheek. 

"Don't you ever think you will complete anyone? You are nothing but a broken soul that can never be fixed. You should know this now since no family wants to keep you." 

Then she turns back to her crew, flicking her hair over her shoulder, and resumes getting stuff out of her locker. Her gaggle of goons copy her movements and are back chatting away like I don't exist, and she didn't just assault me.

Standing in shock at what she said, I just stared at her, my mouth open like a fish out of water—not moving, not knowing what to do. I mean, no one has ever spoken to me like that. 

Suddenly, I feel someone grab my arm and start pulling.

With blurry eyes, I resist and look at the hand on my upper arm. I followed it up to see a man several inches taller than me with a very concerned look. I see his mouth moving and realize he is actually talking to me. 

"Wait! Who the hell are you?" I wiped away the tears and jerked my arm out of his grasp.

"Erik, my name is Erik, and you're bleeding all over your hoodie. I just want to take you to the school healer. She needs to tend to your face quickly, and you need to learn to avoid Selena and her terrors."

"Oh, t-thanks." I wipe my cheek with my cuff, hissing in pain. Looking at the blood on my wristband, it is clear that it isn't just a little scratch. "How the heck did she do that? Is she Wolverine or something?"

"Scarily accurate, but come on, you need to see a healer," Erik said again, grabbing my arm. This time, I let him lead me to the health office.

Inside the health office, an older woman warmly smiles in a classic nurse's uniform. Immediately, she pulls me into the room and tells Erik to go to class. 

She has me sit on the patient's bed as she flits around the room, explaining what she will do and how to take care of the wound. 

According to her, this happens often. She wasn't even shocked that the first injury happened on the first day. She rambles about my injury and keeps proving that this year will be different because she can "feel it in her bones." Once I am cleared to return to class, I leave the building to find that guy waiting for me. 

"Hey… it's Erik, right?" He nods, and I continue with a confused look, "Thank you for helping me, but why are you still here?"

"I, ah… I wanted to make sure you were okay. Selena can be a bitch sometimes, but today she seems to be in rare form. It makes sense after what happened over the summer break. Anyways, you are new here, right?"

"You could tell that easily, huh?" He goes to say something, but I keep going, "Yeah, it's my first day, and I know about Selena. I am her foster sister. She has never been friendly since the day I moved in. Not that I am expecting to be her best friend or anything."

"That has to be terrible. Living with that? Well, anytime you want to get a break, you are welcome to call me. You got your cell?" he says, holding out his hand. 

I look down at the ground and kick a rock near my foot, "Umm… I don't have a cell. Never have. Don't have anyone who wants to keep tabs on me or keep in touch." 

That's when I feel a knuckle under my chin, lifting my head. As my head is lifted, I finally look at him. 

He is slender but well-defined if that is a possible combination. He is pretty much wearing the male version of what I am wearing. He is taller than me by at least four inches. When I finally see his face, a slight shudder runs through me. He has dark brown eyes that pull you in, dimples on each side of his perfect teeth, thick black hair hanging to his shoulders, and perfectly tan skin. 

"Well, you do now, but I kinda need to know your name first if we are gonna be friends? Up to you, of course." He smiles again with a little less confidence and a flash of worry in his eyes as he quickly drops his hand and stuffs them both into his jeans. 

I cleared my throat to talk: "I would like to be friends. I just don't know how long I am going to be here. I don't seem to last long in any one place. I'm not sure you want to waste your time." 

I gave him a chance to back out and leave. I did not want to deal with the heartache of leaving town and my only friend behind.

"Hold on," he takes off his backpack and rummages around, finally pulling out a piece of paper and a pen, jotting something down, then handing it to me, "Here. That's my cell number and address. If you live with the Moores, you are about two blocks from my house. You can call me or come by whenever. I will be your friend for as long as you breathe if you want." 

Glancing at his phone, a trace of trepidation runs across his face, and he sighs softly, "What's your next class? We pretty much missed our third-period class."

"Oh, the fourth period is open for me. I was going to hide out somewhere, but you should get to class. Bye." 

As I quickly turned around and headed towards the cafe, Erik said, "Hey! Can I get your name, at least?"

"You can call me Ren."

((edited on 9/14/25))

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Breaking and Entering (4) - Mikhail

Status: Ongoing Series

Chapter number: 4 of unknown

Word count for Chapter: 1,073 

Word count for Story: 9,534

Genre: Werewolf

There are no chapter titles, but each chapter will have a name listed that indicates which POV the chapter is from. Mindlinks are in italics. Conversations with their inner wolf are in bold italics.

A little about the author: I am a mother of two beautiful children. One of which is special needs, and on 3/28, they lost 75% of their vision. I started a Patreon if you feel the heart to donate towards helping with the medical costs of appointments, medication, and modifications to the house, which insurance doesn't cover.

Warnings: (I am not good at this, but I will try. Let me know if I missed anything!!) NOT BETA READ!! This story will have a bit of angst, fluff, smut, f/m, and m/m. This chapter doesn't have any warnings... unless I missed some.

BREAKING AND ENTERING MASTER LIST

LDYSMFRST MASTER LIST

My world got flipped again with two simple works – High school.

Like actual high school with other students. 

Not alone with a tutor in the library of the packhouse. 

After my father wished me luck, Aliaksandr, Mitch, and I moved to Gamma Jon's office to discuss my day. I started at 8 a.m. and ended at 3 p.m., followed by training with the warriors my age, who would be under my command. 

"What do you mean I have a free third period? What is brunch? I thought there were sports after school, not training?" I ask no one in particular as I look down below, watching the students starting to come in quickly. 

“What’s with the block schedules?”

Most students are dressed lightly for the heat until one student catches my eye, leaving the building … wearing pants and a hoodie. Watching the student walk away, I can feel Borya get restless.

"MIKY!" Aliaksandr raises his voice, and I spin around and glare at him before I say anything, "If you want us to answer all your questions, you might want to listen to our answers. Besides, you have five minutes to get to your first class with me, and Professor Clark is not one to mess with."

"You are lucky you are my Beta, Sasha," I say as I grab my coat.

Mitch hands me a backpack and says, "In here, you have everything you need for your first 2 classes. Your locker has the rest of your stuff. I know you aren't dressed for school, but we will make do."

"What do you mean I am not dressed for school?" That is when I remembered I was dressed for the office. 

I thought this morning's meeting would be with an advisor or to settle something urgent, so I wore a three-piece charcoal gray suit with no tie and black dress shoes. 

"I cannot go to my first day of school like this! What kind of impression would that be? I am stuck up, prick, right? I think not. Hold on."

Papa, can I run home and get on something other than a suit? I mindlink my father.

Yes, Misha. You can start after brunch. Take Sasha with you.

"Sasha, you and I will go back to the packhouse so I can change. Mitch, you go ahead and get to class. We will meet back here during the third period. Understood?"

They nod in unison, and Mitch jogs out of the office. 

Sasha and I head home to my car, a deep purple Toyota Highlander, and along the way to the packhouse, I decide it's time for some answers.

"Sasha, when did you know this was going to happen?" I glare at him quickly, trying to keep my eyes on the road.

Avoiding my eyes and looking out the front windshield, he responds after a second, "About two days ago, but Mitch knew about a month ago because Gamma Jon mentioned something to him in passing."

"So, explain high school."

Listening to my Beta tell me about the cliques, the squabbles between the circles, and all the chicks, I know this year will be challenging. I not only have to integrate like I am just another student, but I also have to find the balance between being one of them and being their next Alpha.

Then, I have to deal with multiple teachers instead of one tutor. 

While it seems like a lot, this will probably be my most straightforward transition. Despite what my father thinks, I already know most of the pack. Then, my tutors were from the school and would switch depending on the topic. Having more than one at a time shouldn't be challenging, but we will see. 

The hard part is finding my mate. According to Sasha, it should be easy with all the females at the school turning 18 soon. 

Even though it seems like it would be easy, Sasha doesn’t seem to consider all of my Alpha duties. Taking the time out of those duties to attend coming-of-age celebrations means later nights for me.

I have always wondered what it would be like for humans who must go through trial and error to find a mate. In my sleepless nights, I have read books about epic battles over love or heartache over being with the wrong human mate.

Can you imagine wasting months or years of your life only to have your chosen mate be the wrong one? 

It may not be that different from living your life without being moonmatched. 

When we get to the packhouse, we have some time before we have to get back. I decided to raid the fridge for breakfast, shower, and change into dark denim jeans, a dark blue polo shirt, and blue and black Nikes. For some reason, since I learned about going to school, Borya has been restless. 

Borya, what is wrong? Why are you acting like you haven't been on a run all month? We ran last night.

She is near, our mate; she is finally close.

Do you mean she is eighteen already? We need to find her fast. 

I don't think she is eighteen yet, but I can feel her. Being an Alpha allows us to feel things before anyone else, including her.  

Right, but she is here, and I may meet her sooner than we thought.

Running downstairs, I call for Sasha. I cannot wait to tell him what Borya said. "Sasha! Sasha! I have great news!" I yell as I barrel around the corner into the main hall, almost running into my mother. 

"Good Morning to you too, Misha," she smiles at me. “I hear your father finally told you the good news. You're starting in an actual high school. Remember, you are still 18 years old. Have fun with school, make friends, and find yourself."

"Mum! I am so sorry. Where is Sasha? I have great news! Borya said he felt our mate, which means she is here! She really is here!" I say with a massive smile, hugging my mother tightly. 

"That is wonderful! Now, you must ensure you are a man worth being a mate with. Oh, I had Sasha wait for you in the car. I wanted to wish you luck on your first day of school," she tells me as she walks to the front door, "Now off with you. Good luck, and make us proud."

((edited on 9/14/24))

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Breaking and Entering (5) - Lovern

Status: Ongoing Series

Chapter number: 5 of unknown

Word count for Chapter: 1,577

Word count for Story: 11,111

Genre: Werewolf

There are no chapter titles, but each chapter will have a name listed that indicates which POV the chapter is from. Mindlinks are in italics. Conversations with their inner wolf are in bold italics.

A little about the author: I am a mother of two beautiful children. One of which is special needs, and on 3/28, they lost 75% of their vision. I started a Patreon if you feel the heart to donate towards helping with the medical costs of appointments, medication, and modifications to the house, which insurance doesn't cover.

Warnings: (I am not good at this, but I will try. Let me know if I missed anything!!) NOT BETA READ!! This story will have a bit of angst, fluff, smut, f/m, and m/m. This chapter doesn't have any warnings... unless I missed some.

BREAKING AND ENTERING MASTER LIST

LDYSMFRST MASTER LIST

Great way to start, right? 

Getting attacked, visiting the health office, and missing an entire class period—oy! 

If this is how everything starts, this will be a tricky school year. Part of me wants to go home because my face is killing me. What kind of nails does she have to cut me like that? As far as I know, she doesn’t have acrylics with razor blades.

It's focus time. The desire to do well in school and graduate, maybe from here, on a good note, is more essential and will always win. Since there is time left for the third period and I have a free fourth period, it is time to go to my safe place and be invisible again.

Making my way to the library and entering the administration building, I notice Mitch is still here with whatever his name is and now another lackey. 

Wait, they are all coming from the private elevator? 

Who are three high school jocky-looking goons to have access to a key card VIP elevator? 

I get Mitch having one since he is now glued to Selena, and her parents work on the top floor, but the other two? Oh well, it's not something to care about with the short time I will be here.

Oh shit! 

Mitch is walking this way with a concerned look on his face and the lackeys in tow. He is in no way coming to check on me, right? 

Glancing around… yep, it is me, not another soul in sight. Why not? Everyone is supposed to be in class right now. 

*Ring*

The bell for the end of the third period goes off, stopping the boys in their tracks. He glances at the new lackey behind him, and my eyes follow. 

Oh, wow. 

My brain short circuits when my eyes connect with these pale, jade-green eyes filled with power and confusion. 

“Hey, Lovren! What happened to your face?” Mitch calls out, moving towards me again, looking more irritated now than concerned. 

The other two boys are seemingly shocked at what he said, glancing over at me like I was not 100% there just a second ago. Concern and irritation echoed on their faces. 

Oh, great, that's just what I need now “a pity party” because Selena went Freddy Kruger on my face. All I can think of is how mad Mitchell will be at me for pissing off his girlfriend enough for her to do this to me. 

Boys will be boys and back the bitches no matter what. 

And with how close Mitch and Selena are now, I am pretty sure that video evidence still wouldn't convince him that I was in the wrong place at the wrong time or Selena was PMSing again.

Rolling my shoulders, I feel this prickling sensation roll across my skin like small waves, which only makes me want to get away faster. 

“It’s nothing. I’m good.” I quickly mumble as I turn and bolt for the stairs, not waiting for the elevator to reach the lobby level. 

I repeatedly chanted, “Don’t make trouble. Don’t cause a mess. Don’t lose this house, too,” making it my mantra until I graduate. 

I keep going up the stairs to the third floor, ignoring the calls after me from Mitch and his lackeys.

When I reached the third floor, I leaned against the wall and listened to see if they were following me up the stairs.  

No footsteps on the stairs. 

Taking a chance, I peek around the corner, looking down to the lobby. The three are still there, looking puzzled and pointing to the stairs where I just escaped. 

Well, there is no way this is not going to get back to Jon and Rachel. Mitch will say something to Jon, and then Selena will spin a story to her parents. 

When I get home, who knows what Jonathan will say, but Rachel will have a million questions for me, like 1—why did you run from Mitch or 2—why did you make Selena mad, but never are you okay? 

I may have to live in the library from open to closed daily and take the long way back to avoid everyone. 

*Ring*

Ah, the fourth period has started, meaning I have about 55 minutes to myself. Sitting in my favorite chair, I scoot it closer to the window and watch the schoolyard. Some students are running late to class, others are milling about with no apparent direction, and PE for today will be soccer. 

I am not a fan of rough-and-tumble sports, but that is not to say that I am not relatively strong, flexible, and quick to recover for a heavier-set person. If I am going to participate in a sport, it will be either swimming, volleyball, or horseback riding.  

Watching the intense game outside, something strange happened. The students all kneeled and looked at something under the awning. 

That was odd. Is that some safety drill out here in the mountains of nowhere? 

Was there a sound that signaled to do the drill that was only played outside? 

It's another quirk to add to small-town living. Deciding to ignore that, I focus on my homework until the bell rings at the end of the fourth period. 

With my face still sore, the thought of chewing anything makes it hurt worse. Skipping lunch, I return to third-period class to apologize for my absence, turn in my health slip, and collect the syllabus plus any class or homework.

So far, the rest of my school day involves a one-sided hide-and-seek game with Mitch, Selena, and their collection of lackeys. 

Praise anything and everything that I do not end up having classes with any of them! There IS a higher power out there. Amen!

My ability to stay in the clique of Invisibles is intact. 

Math, Science, and English are a piece of cake. 

Economics and government are a nightmare.

My bird course this year is choir because I can fly right through it and pass with technicolor. Singing is the one thing that connects me to my mom the most. 

I remember bits and pieces of her singing while cleaning, cooking, and showering, and, well, if she could sing while doing the activity she did, no one ever stopped her. She never sang professionally, even though she could have made it big, because she always said, ‘The Goddess does not give gifts for money and fame.’” 

She was a soprano and sounded like chimes in the wind, picking up the spirits of those around her and easing their worries. I was not so lucky. I am an alto with a strong, commanding voice that is warm but soothes the soul. 

Choir was my last class for the day.  I was practically skipping with joy to class. Excited to end the day on a high note, pun intended, I walk into the choir room only to hear someone yell, “It’s Ren! You sing too?” 

Oh no. 

Searching for the voice owner, I find my “new friend,” Erik, surrounded by other students with all their eyes locked on me and my bandaged face.

Kill me now.  

Shooing people away, he patted the seat beside him and waved me over. I swear he knew everyone in the room, and everyone had to say hi to him, which means they also said hi to me; so much for being Invisible in this class.

Luckily, the conductor started the class with basic orientation, competition information, important dates, and uniform discussion. Then came the warm-ups, which included lots of looks and smiles at me from Erik and the other students close by, making me glad my face was already red from the injury. 

Next, the only part of the choir I hate is the placement showcase. 

It happens every year: each student stands in front of the class, singing variations of scales, melodies, and sight reading. I can do everything, but I hate that it is in front of everyone. Erik has no problem with this; he has a fantastic baritone-like tenor voice. It made me smile for the first time today.

Lucky for me, I kept an eye on the clock and was blessed with two things: running out of time, so I didn't have to try to sing in pain, and having never unpacked my bag, I was able to melt into the shadows and leave right away while everyone else chatted and packed up. 

I hoped Erik did not want to talk to me afterward; I was done with people.

The choir room is near the band, theater, and main gym. It is the central gathering point for the Clackers and their minions. I take a deep breath and walk along the buildings without bumping into anyone, focusing only on getting to the library rather than drawing attention to myself. 

Typically, it works. 

Dad used to joke about my ninja skills and ability to enter a room filled with people without anyone knowing I was there. It was rare when I would get caught. Most of the time, it was by my dad or mom, someone who always oozed presence or power. 

Which is what I am feeling now: power and eyes. 

Someone is watching me, and it's drilling a hole into my head. Trying not to be obvious, I glance around at the students in my general area only to be drawn to someone across the quad. 

Pale Jade green eyes. 

((edited on 9/14/24))

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Breaking and Entering (6) - Mikhail

Status: Ongoing Series

Chapter number: 6 of unknown

Word count for Chapter: 1,081

Word count for Story: 12,192

Genre: Werewolf

There are no chapter titles, but each chapter will have a name listed that indicates which POV the chapter is from. Mindlinks are in italics. Conversations with their inner wolf are in bold italics.

A little about the author: I am a mother of two beautiful children. One of which is special needs, and on 3/28, they lost 75% of their vision. I started a Patreon if you feel the heart to donate towards helping with the medical costs of appointments, medication, and modifications to the house, which insurance doesn't cover.

Warnings: (I am not good at this, but I will try. Let me know if I missed anything!!) NOT BETA READ!! This story will have a bit of angst, fluff, smut, f/m, and m/m. This chapter has some mentions of blood and injury.

BREAKING AND ENTERING MASTER LIST

LDYSMFRST MASTER LIST

To say that Sasha was excited to hear that Borya felt our mate was near would be an understatement, but that would mean Mitch’s reaction would be like I just announced I won the lottery.  

I was thrilled to have these two knuckleheads as best friends and my counsel.

Exiting the elevator from my father’s office, I am hit with the scent of blood and healing balm. We all stop in our tracks, looking around us. We don’t notice anything with the staff nearby when Mitch suddenly starts towards a girl in a dark hoodie.

Wait… did he just call her Lov... Lovren? 

He knows her, the interesting student I saw this morning. 

Getting closer to her, the smell of blood becomes mixed with anxiety and fear. Looking at this strange girl, I push my Alpha aura out in small waves, trying to calm her down, but it isn’t working.

Did you see her face? Mitch mind links Aliaksandr and myself. 

Who is she? Why is she fearful? Why is she bleeding? My gaze turns from Mich to her, and our eyes lock briefly.

They are beautiful. 

They are two different colors: one is like the brown of dampened wood, and the other is green, like an emerald. 

Wow! What happened? Asks Aliaksandr, his face filled with shock and confusion. 

I know her for the first question. I don’t know about the second two, and we should have been notified if someone was attacked on campus. Mitch mindlinks us, now annoyed by the failure of reports. 

She breaks eye contact with me, glancing at Mitch and muttering something that sounds like a version of “none of your business.” 

Then she quickly leaves, her movements oozing anxiety, pain, and fear. 

My mouth drops open at the notion that my aura did nothing, and she left without being dismissed by one of us. 

Does she not understand who we are? 

Feeling Borya becoming more restless, I focused on him momentarily, trying to calm him down.

There are better times to be antsy or demanding Borya. She is scared of one or all of us. That or something happened, and she fears what will happen next. 

     I know that, but she did not react like a pack member or a human. Our Alpha aura did nothing to her. She still locked eyes with us. Follow her. Find out who she is, Mikhail.

“Why did she run off? Does she think we are blind?” asks Aliaksandr.

“No, I don’t think that is it. She is the foster kid Gamma Jon, and his mate Rachel took in last spring. She always seems to keep to herself and is an odd duck, but Gamma Jon says there is something special about her,” Mitch explains.

“Wait, she is the foster kid that Papa approved of?” I say, pointing at the stairs where she ran off. 

Small flashes of memory race barreling through my mind: her standing in the lobby with the bandage on, her figure walking on campus in the morning, her sitting in a chair in the library, lost in a book during the summer, and her wandering through town in the middle of the night.

Why did I never realize that she was the foster kid?

*Ring*

“Hey, Miky. It’s time for class. Let's go before we are late,”  Aliaksandr pats me on the shoulder. 

Walking out of the lobby, I glance towards the fourth floor, where she would stay during the summer. What is it about her that pulls Borya’s attention? 

Shaking my head, I put the girl with the hoodie in the back of my mind. It’s time to focus on high school.

Walking around campus, I listen to the two talk about different buildings, students, teachers, and hang-out areas. Every time we pass, a pack member takes a knee out of respect for my position. 

My father makes it sound like I have never been out of the house, but I have seen everyone on pack runs, meetings, and celebrations. They all know who I am when they see me coming; if they don’t, they can feel me coming. 

While it is excellent that they respect me and my position, this will get old quickly.  It will also attract a lot of attention and cause discomfort for the humans in the school. 

After part of the day has gone by, some students who see me often throughout the day are getting annoyed with having to drop down every time they see me. 

I will have to talk with Papa about this. They could do it when they see me for the first time in a day, or maybe not during school hours.

The end of school brings a different feeling to the pack. 

Everyone has bigger smiles, laughter, and lightheartedness because it's time to go home, head to their sports team practice, or train. Even Mitch and Aliaksandr goof around and flirt with the girls. 

Oh well, Mitch is flirting with his mate Selena. It is great to see that Mitch is moonmatched with another wolf. Several others have found their moonmates, wolf and human, over the summer. 

I always thought it was funny that the human moonmates are guided by the Goddess to our little town for one reason or another. Being the next Alpha and without a moonmate, I worry that I will have to start traveling to other clans to find my moonmate. 

There is that smell again, blood and healing balm. Following the scent, my eyes narrow on the hooded girl crossing the quad, seemingly oblivious to anyone around her.

No, wait… everyone else seems not to notice her.

How can you not notice her? 

Though the blood was stale and the healing balm most likely absorbed by now, I could still smell it like she was beside me. Her pace slows down slightly while I keep watching her. 

She is tall, curvy, and different from all the other humans and packmates. She stands out but in an unexpected way. She seems to look worried now. 

What is with this girl? 

Fear, pain, anxiety, and now worry, does she have a positive emotion in her?

Oh! 

She is looking right at me, stopped in her tracks, and locked eyes with me again for the second time today. 

How can she do that without any show of concern? Even humans have a hard time looking me in the eyes.

Wait.. why is she furrowing her brow?

What did I do?

((edited on 9/14/24))

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Breaking and Entering (7) - Lovren

Status: Ongoing Series

Chapter number: 7 of unknown

Word count for Chapter: 3,754

Word count for Story: 15,946

Genre: Werewolf

There are no chapter titles, but each chapter will have a name listed that indicates which POV the chapter is from. Mindlinks are in italics. Conversations with their inner wolf are in bold italics.

A little about the author: I am a mother of two beautiful children. One of which is special needs, and on 3/28, they lost 75% of their vision. I started a Patreon if you feel the heart to donate towards helping with the medical costs of appointments, medication, and modifications to the house, which insurance doesn't cover.

Warnings: (I am not good at this, but I will try. Let me know if I missed anything!!) NOT BETA READ!! This story will have a bit of angst, fluff, smut, f/m, and m/m. This chapter doesn't really have a warning, but there are pack dynamics at play (kinda), power struggle, anxiety, and mentions of criminal history and death.

BREAKING AND ENTERING MASTER LIST

LDYSMFRST MASTER LIST

That is it. 

I am out of here. 

I didn't run into anyone else when I made my way to my safe haven on the fourth floor. My mind raced to figure out who the boy with the jade-green eyes was.  

As a high schooler, he holds some kind of power, but it differs from Mitchell's. He reminds me of my father and grandfather's feeling of power before they died. 

All I know is that it gives me chills, and I need to stay away from that little troupe of people: Mitch, his lackeys, Selena, and her terrors. 

Thankfully, for this semester, I do not have a class with any of them. I guess this orientation day was good for something. Tomorrow would be chaos due to a new block-type schedule. I want to understand why this high school has a day of academics alternating with a day of PE, health class, and self-defense. 

God, my week will include places where I will soar and where I will be sore. At least this whole block schedule will give me time to do my homework and hopefully recover. 

On a positive note, PE was an elective course, and I could take swimming, thank god. It would just be me and the water, allowing for a comfortable soreness to take over and another added sense of clarity and calmness.

I am not looking forward to the self-defense class. I mean, I can street fight, but sparing?

Is this how they do it in small towns like this? 

Reaching my little corner of the library, I look down over the quad, my eyes wandering over the students. Absentmindedly, my hand goes to the gauze on my face as I find the boy with the jade-green eyes talking with Mitchell and the other lackey. 

Selena hangs on Mitchell’s arm like an accessory while speaking animatedly to anyone who will listen. I wonder if she knows how much of what comes out of her mouth is filler for a much-preferred silence.

“Whoa!! What was that about?” I say to myself, pressing up to the glass. 

I look around as the whole quad seems frozen in time. All eyes are on Selena, who is now on the ground with the lackey boys hovering over her. 

“I am pretty sure that is because Selena thought she would impress them with her asserting dominance over you via your face,” a voice states as I jump out of my skin. 

Spinning around, I finally saw who the voice belonged to. It was one of the bouncer-looking guys who walked around standing with his hands behind his back. 

“The Healer told Mr. Moores that you were injured today by Selena, and though he cannot come, he asked me to check on you. Are you alright? You should have the healer look at it again tomorrow to ensure it is healing properly.” 

“Damn. Of course, she told him,” I muttered, dropping my hand and looking at the floor. “It still hurts, but it is not the worst thing I have had happen to me.”

Fiddling with the hem of my hoodie and avoiding eye contact, I continued,  “I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. I was blocking her locker and should not have said what I said. Umm… it is really not that big of a deal.”

“Mr. Moores, and the boss, do not like it when violence happens on school grounds. Selena will be dealt with,” he chuckles, walking up to the glass near me. “Well, it looks like she may be getting her punishment now.” 

Following his eyes down to the quad, I see Selena still on her knees, head lowered and shoulders shaking. 

The jade-green-eyed boy stands over her, his whole body tense.

Mitchell stands to the side like he wants to be between them but can’t. He keeps looking back and forth like he is watching a tennis match. 

The other lackey and the terrors hovered around them but kept a decent distance like he was trying to avoid getting pulled in. 

Or is he trying to keep the terrors away?

“Why is she on her knees and is she crying? It's just a scratch. Not like she was trying to take my eye out, unless she missed.”

“Like, I said. Violence is not tolerated on school grounds, Miss Lovern. Now if you will follow me, I have been tasked to bring you Mr. Moore and the boss.”

“No. No, thank you. I have homework already, and I need to get back to the house before any other troubles happen.” 

I walk over to my backpack, which I apparently dropped when startled. 

Mumbling under my breath, “and lock myself in my room before Selena comes after me for this whole thing.”

“I don’t think locking yourself away will help, Miss Lovern. Unfortunately, the boss is insisting. He wants to check on you himself. After all, he is also the reason why you ended up here and not in Juvenile Hall.” 

At that bit of information, I freeze.

“Now, if you will follow me, the office is not that far away,” he says as he directs me away from the glass towards the elevators. With a huff, I start walking. 

Unknown to me, the man looks down to the quad, nods at the jade-green-eyed boy, and then joins me, walking to the elevator. 

“Oh, Miss. This way, please. That elevator does not reach the office we are going to.”

“Excuse me, Mr?”

“Ivanov, Andrei Ivanov but you can call me Andrei. I think I saw you talking with my younger brother Erik?” 

My eyes light up, recognizing Erik’s name. “Yeah, he was the one who, more or less, saved me from Selena and took me to the nurses', I mean Healer’s office. He and I have choir class together.” 

I shake my head, “Wait, wait… Andrei, we are going into the key-card VIP and Mitchell’s lackeys only elevator?”

Letting out a barking laugh, Andrei nods: “I don’t know what is funnier. The fact my pup of a bro saved you from Selena or that you think Mitchell is the one who has the lackeys.” 

He pulls out a small hard plastic key card with an outline of three wolves and swipes it, allowing the elevator doors to open. He holds the doors, standing to the side to allow me to enter first. 

I step in with a nod of thank you to him. I look around the elevator, noting that it's glass and allows one to see all its inner workings. I muttered to myself, “That's wicked, but what is with all the glass?”

“Mr. Dishinko likes to make sure things are going to work. The only way to ensure that is to see how the cogs work. The glass allows anyone to see something not working in the elevator,” he states matter-of-factly as he selects the top floor.

“Just as the glass around this building allows for Mr. Dishinko, Mr. Moores, Mr. Barlowe, and the guard to see the town without any obstructions.”

It doesn’t take long to reach the top floor.

My presence is immediately known to everyone without the doors even opening. I feel several eyes on me.

Glancing around, I spot a few other men in black, and oh, great… it's Jonathan and Rachel. Standing with them near the elevator are two other men dressed in suits. 

One stands slightly behind the other, and he looks like he could be a professor at a University. He is easily as tall as Jonathan, over six feet tall, but he doesn’t have the same broad shoulders. When our eyes meet, I feel a slight tingle of power, but it is nothing compared to the man standing in front.

I stepped out of the elevator at Andrei's gentle push, looked back at him briefly, and cursed him, in my mind, for bringing me into the lion’s den. 

“Miss Lovren,” at my name, my body freezes as the depth of power washes over. 

My eyes snap to the other suit-dressed man standing in front of everyone.

His light brown hair is shorter than everyone else's, leaving his sharp facial features clear to see. His eyes are deep green and remind me of the boy from the lobby and the quad. He is older than everyone else in the room but not old. 

He has that aura of power I have only felt from my father. I have dealt with energy like this before, which has never ended well. 

I immediately go into defense mode. 

I hate feeling like prey.

“Lovren!” Rachel hisses at me, pulling my attention to her. “It’s rude to stare like that. Say hello to Mr. Dishinko, Jonathan’s boss, and well… umm…”

“I am more or less the Mayor of Lunar Ridge, Miss Lovren,” the man smiles, the energy backing off almost like a wave pulling back.

“Mr. Mayor,” I feel the need to bow since he is who he is, “I am sorry if I was rude. I just felt a bit cornered.”

“Ahh, yes. I can see how you would feel that.”

Ding

Jumping at the sound of the elevator, I spin around and back towards one of the outside walls. Putting space between myself and everyone.

My eyes lock with jade green eyes that exit the elevator. At this point, if I had hackles, they would be standing straight up. 

“Mikhail, Aliaksandr, Mitchell, Selena, and Erik. Good, everyone is present. Let's go into the conference room. Rachel, get everyone something to drink on your way in.”

It takes a beat before anyone starts to move after the Mayor. However, the jade-eyed boy and I stand still, eyes locked.

It isn’t until Erik steps between us that I can look anywhere else. 

“Ren, are you okay? Let’s go inside. Come on, you can sit next to me,” Erik says as he lightly takes my elbow and guides me into the conference room.

After some minor pleasantries and everyone taking seats, the connections between everyone are more apparent. 

The Mayor has to be the jade-eyed boy's father as they sit at the head of the table. 

The other lackey sits next to the jade-eyed boy with Mitchell. On the other side sits the Professor man, Jonathan, Rachel, and Selena. Erik follows his word and sits with me at the other end of the table. Standing next to the door is Andrei. 

“Miss Lovren, do you know everyone here?” the Mayor asks.

“No, sir. I know my foster family, of course. I met Erik and umm, his brother Andrei today.” I say, glancing at the brothers quickly before continuing. 

“I know Mitchell also because he is dating Selena and practically lives at the house with us,” I giggle out the last words due to nerves.

Feeling a hand on my forearm, I relax and look at Erik. He smiles at me softly, trying to comfort me. At this point, Erik and his brother seem to be the only relaxed people in the room.

“You know more than I expected after the reports about your nightly wanderings and residency you have taken in the library over the summer,” the Mayor says with a smile as I tense slightly.

“Oh don’t worry. You are not being followed but Jonathan and Andrei have a great team of guards that keep watch over Lunar Ridge, which includes you.”

“Lovren,” Jonathan says, “We are only keeping you safe. And… as your foster dad, I also want to make sure you settle in well and find your home here.”

“Oh…” this revelation shocks me. “Noone before really cared if I settled in. At my age, it's always been more about the paycheck.”

“We actually don’t get a paycheck for you,” Rachel chimes in, which causes my mouth to drop as I look at my current foster family. 

“We heard about your story while attending a seminar. Some of that town’s guards talked about your ability to stand up to higher-ranking members of the city.” Jonathan explained.

“I inquired more, and it seems that your records show that you defy authority, commit crimes, and run away.”

I roll my eyes at him as he announces all of my shortcomings to the room.

“Lovren, I don’t believe any of it.” Jonathan declares with certainty, causing the room to focus on him intently.

“Why?” I ask with eyes narrowed, “What makes you think that?”

“I brought my concern to Stanislav, and we pulled all of your records,” he said, gesturing to the Mayor. 

“We read over everything and discussed your behaviors with Christopher,” When Jonathan said his name, the professor nodded. 

“We all agreed that your reactions would have been acceptable here at Lunar Ridge. Your defiance was towards those abusing their authority. The crimes you were charged with committing were self-defense. You ran away because it wasn’t safe for you to stay.”

Shock. 

That is all that I can feel. 

Looking around the table, I can see different reactions. Most are variations of concern, and they are all now focused on me.

I don’t know what to say, so I sit there with wide eyes and start picking at the sleeves of my hoodie again. I feel Erik shift beside me, leaning more against my arm, which oddly allows me to relax a bit more. 

“Mr. Moores, umm.. Sir.” Erik timidly speaks up. 

“Erik, stay out of this,” his brother cuts in.

Putting his hand up, the Mayor levels Andrei with a look of authority, causing him to drop his head down and to the side. 

“Go on Erik, What is it you have to say?” Jonathan asks with honesty.

“Umm… You have shared some very… ah, sensitive information about Ren, but this doesn’t explain why we have all been brought to the Counsel Quarters.” Erik states while he starts to pick at my hoodie sleeve with me.

“That is true, Erik. We are here to discuss a few things, such as additional introductions, apologies, and arrangements.”

“Hi, Miss Lovren. I am Dr. Christopher Barlowe, but you can call me Chris. I am the second in command for Lunar Ridge,” the professor man introduces himself. 

Then he continues, “If you ever need a sounding board, advice, or help with any of your studies, you can contact me. I am also the Principal for Lunar High.” 

So, the professor is the Principal, and a Doctor is on top of it. Well, that explains how he is dressed and his aura. “Hello, Principal Chris. My friends and professors call me Ren.”

He smiles at the fact that I am still using titles but am open enough to allow him to use a nickname.

“I have been more or less introduced,” the Mayor says. “My name is Stanislav Dishinko. Everything and anything that happens within the town borders gets reported to me. It helps me keep the town safe.”

Reaching into his coat pocket, he pulls out a small device and passes it to me. Once it reaches Selena, her eyes bug out, and her jaw drops as she passes it to Erik, who also seems taken back. 

“You seem to enjoy reading and night walking. While normally this isn’t smiled upon, I trust Jonathan when he says you are a good kid.”

Pointing to the fob I now hold, he says, “That is a key fob that has been coded for the library levels of this building. Winter is coming, and the weather is going to get colder. This will allow you to enter the library when you are out at night. Just remember the guards will also be patrolling at night so that they might check in with you.”

I hold the fob tightly in my hand and smile at the ability to come and go from my safe place freely.

“Hey, Loven, you know me. Mitchell, but you can call me Mitch. I am a senior like you, captain of the soccer team, and I am training to be head of the guard once Jonathan retires.” 

He glances briefly at Selena, “If you ever feel like you are in danger or anyone, and I mean Anyone, makes you feel like you are not safe or welcome here… please come and talk to me.”

Oh boy, that will cause some trouble with Selena, I think to myself. 

Trying not to look at Selena, I can feel Erik’s shoulders jerk as he tries not to laugh. Under the table, I knock my leg into his to get him to hold it together. 

“I am Aliaksandr but I guess you since we are using nicknames you can call me Alek. I am kind of like the brains of the operation. I tend to follow in Principal Chris’s footsteps. I am in charge of the school council and the debate team captain. I am here if you need anything… as your school council president or anything… at all.” 

This time, I take a good look at him. 

He has a broader nose than the others in the town and has long, dark blonde, almost brown hair and fair skin. While his face is on the rounder side, his shirt and shorts clearly show that he works out. What is interesting about Alek is the controlled level of energy coming from his almost white-blue eyes.

It is almost as if he knows that I am sensitive to other people’s energy and doesn’t want his energy to scare me away. This piqued my interest in seeing what he has behind his walls.

The sound of a chair scraping the floor pulls my attention from Alek to the jade-eyed boy. The room is now an eerie silence as you both stare each other down. 

The boy bows at the waist without breaking eye contact, “My name is Mikhail Dishinko, son of Stanislave and Ekaterina Dishinko.”

He holds his bow as if waiting for something. 

My only thought is to return the gesture. Standing from my chair, I curtsy in return, “Hello, Mikhail. I am Lovern. Daughter of the late Stefan and Jovana ermm… Well, I don’t know what our last name was. The police reports never said what it was.”

We both retake our seats, and the room is now more melancholy. 

“Well, we all know I am Erik, and the muscle back there is my big bro, Andrei,” Erik says with a bright smile. “Now that introductions are over, what’s next?”

Looking at Erik, I smile softly and begin to think that having him as a friend isn’t such a bad idea.

“Ah, I think next was apologies,” I say, looking at Principal Chris. “I am sorry, Principal Chris, for causing an incident on the first day of school. I honestly di...”

“Wait a minute,” Mikhail interrupts me, all eyes focusing on him. 

“Why are you apologizing to anyone?” he asks.

Looking at him and then around the room, I notice he is not the only one who seems confused. Even Selena seems baffled. “Why wouldn’t I? I blocked Selena’s locker, she made a comment that I reacted to badly by saying things I shouldn’t have said.”

Looking to the Principal again, “I need to apologize for my actions of disrespecting another student while on school grounds,” then look to Selena, “and apologize to you, Selena, for saying things that I should not have in the heat of the moment.”

“You have honor, Miss Lovren,” the Mayor comments. “That is a rare quality to find amongst people your age and even rarer with someone of your history. I like you.”

“Papa is right, Miss Lovren.” Mikhail agrees but turns a heated glare to Selena. “It seems that you have a grace and poise that not all of us have.”

I can visibly see Selena shrink in her seat under his gaze. Looking between them both, it amazes me that he would be so stern towards his friend’s girl. Glancing at Mitchell, I can see he is just as upset at Selena because he won’t even look up from the table. 

With a sharpness to her voice, Rachel speaks, “Selena, don’t you have something to say for yourself in front of the council? To your foster sister Lovren?”

Nodding, Selena sits up straighter and looks at me with misty eyes, “Sorry, Lovren. I know I have not been the best at welcoming you to our home or to the school but I will try to be better.”

She glances over to Mikhail briefly before continuing, “I am also sorry for calling you a charity case and something my… our parents are using to look good for Mr. Dishinko.”

At that, Selena bows her head down, and to the side, her eyes cast downwards. I watch her and wait for something to happen; that is when I feel a powerful energy sweeping over me.

Looking back at the Dishinko men, I see that they are both watching me closely while everyone else is watching Selena. I can feel my own aura pushing back in response to them trying to keep me from drowning under the pressure. 

I feel a breath in my ear before I hear Erik whisper, “You have to formally accept before anyone will move, Ren.”

Without dropping my eyes from the overpowering men at the other end of the table, I say, “I accept your apology Selena. Let us work on getting along better for the sake of everyone here.”

Now, there is almost an electric crackling in the air between the three of you. The whole table feels the energy pouring through the room. 

Soon, it feels like the wave is going to crash over me, and I abruptly stand, breaking the concentration of the Dishinko men.

“If you will excuse me, I have to go and see the nurse again for my face,” I say as I grab my bag and head towards the door.

“My face is really starting to hurt, and I am getting dizzy from not eating lunch. Ah yeah… so I would love to continue this ermm… discussion at another time.”

With that, I bolted out the door. 

Luckily, the elevator was still on the top floor. 

Once I was inside, just as the elevator doors started to close, I could see Mikhail and Erik come barreling out of the door while calling my name. Unable to catch the door, all they could do was watch me in the glass elevator go down and then watch as I ran off the school grounds. 

((edited on 9/14/24))

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Breaking and Entering (8) - Stanislav

Status: Ongoing Series

Word count for Chapter: 2,551

Word count for Story: 18,497

Genre: Werewolf

There are no chapter titles, but each chapter will have a name listed that indicates which POV the chapter is from. Mindlinks are in italics. Conversations with their inner wolf are in bold italics.

A little about the author: I am a mother of two beautiful children, one of whom has special needs. I started a Patreon for many reasons. Most recently, I broke my foot and have been out of work for over a month. According to my recent appointment with my orthopedic surgeon, I am going to be out for a minimum of 3 more months but up to 8 more months.

Warnings: (I am not good at this, but I will try. Let me know if I missed anything!!) NOT BETA READ!! This story will have a bit of angst, fluff, smut, f/m, and m/m. This chapter doesn't really have a warning, but there are pack dynamics and discussions of bullying.

BREAKING AND ENTERING MASTER LIST

LDYSMFRST MASTER LIST

Observing Lovren, Erik, and Mikhail's swift exit, I find their departure more amusing than irritating. My fellow council members can't help but chuckle at the spectacle. 

On the other hand, Mikhail’s counsel, a picture of anticipation, waits for one of us to lose our temper. 

“Aliaksandr and Mitchell, I want you to escort Mikhail back to the pack house, I still expect stellar grades from the three of you,” I command. 

My gaze shifted to the remaining females at the table, “The two of you are free to leave, but remember, Lovren is off-limits. If I catch wind of any more disturbances on pack grounds…”

Sensing the gravity of the situation, Rachel and Selena rise from their seats and bow their heads, baring their necks in a show of submission.

“Yes, Alpha Stanislav. We understand. There will be no more incidents. Right, Selena?” Rachel prompts, her voice filled with a mix of fear and respect.

“Of course, Alpha. You won’t hear a thing,” states Selena as she backs away timidly and leaves with her mother. Following the females, Mikhail’s counsel bows respectfully and leaves as well. 

“I haven’t seen someone gain a reaction like that from your son… ever,” comments my beta Christopher, which has my gamma Jonathan nodding in agreement. 

“Keep an eye on her, but don’t scare her, Andrei. Selena is your daughter, Jonathan, but I don’t trust her nor Lovren not to cause trouble,” I instruct, dismissing Andrei to chase after the girl. 

“You are dismissed. I have a few things to do before I return to the pack house.” With that, the rest of the gathered pack left the conference room. 

Returning to my office, I can see Jonathan reaching for his truck with a few others of the guard. 

Jonathan has been a wonderful Gamma, never letting his title go to his head. I was concerned when he moonmated with Rachel. Rachel was the most popular girl in school; she knew it like Selena does now.

I remember Jon coming to me one night wanting to go for a run. He was pissed off at his mate for trying to get out of something by using the Gamma title they held. 

He went home that night with a cool head and a determination like I had never seen. The next day, Rachel was a new woman. She went around to the pack members she had “snuffed,” as she put it, and apologized. 

My Luna and I were pleased that neither of us had to step in and correct the situation. 

Jonathan and Rachel lost their first litter at almost full term, and it broke them both. Two years later, without even trying, Rachel became pregnant with a beautiful baby girl born under the full moon. 

That is how she got her name; Selena means bright moon. After that, Rachel became overly doting on Selena and Jonathan, focused on ensuring she could want for nothing. 

When Stefen was murdered, Jonathan took it personally like he had lost another child. Since then, the pack guard has become the best in the area, if not the nation. To the point that our allied packs have sent their elite here to be trained.

Now, Mitchell has to find a way to step in and help Selena understand just what it means to be the mate of a Gamma. Hopefully, Jonathan will help Mitchell in this endeavor. 

After watching Jonathan leave, my gaze moves to the town below, and my mind returns to the day's events.

“Pa! Guess what,” my son, Mikhail, comes busting through my office door, tailed by his beta and gamma. 

“Whoa, Mikhail. What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be in class?”

“Alpha, we have about a few minutes left before the next class starts,” Mikhail’s beta says. “Don’t worry, I will keep Miky on track.”

“Papa, no serious! I can feel her!” he says excitedly.

“You can feel who, exactly?” I question, looking between the boys, all beaming with smiles. 

“My mate! Borya says she is finally here, but she isn’t 18 yet. Isn’t this great news? It means I won’t have to travel to find her.”

Rising from my seat with a smile, I congratulate my son, “That is wonderful news, son. Borya has always had a good sense for finding his counsel. I am not surprised he can feel her so soon.”

Coming around my desk, I place my hands on his shoulders, “Finding your mate is a wonderful thing. It is a rite of passage for an Alpha. You must remain strong. A Luna is a gift from the Moon Goddess, and you must be worthy of such a gift.”

Nodding, Mikhail looks on top of the world, “I will always remain loyal to my Luna and this pack, Father. I will make you and my brother proud.”

“Hey, we should get going. The bell is going to ring soon,” interrupts his beta. With that, the three of them leave my office, and I return to the endless stacks of paperwork.

~Ring Ring~

“Alpha Stanislav, this is a conference call with the school healer. I thought you might want to know what has happened today,” says Christopher, my Beta and High School's Principal.

“What has happened?”I question, as Christopher does well with handling issues on his own. So, it’s odd that they contacted me since I have never been involved in such matters with the school. 

“Alpha, I had an act of dominance injury in my office. Gamma Jonathan’s foster child was struck with extended claws by his daughter Selena. Blood was drawn,” informs the school nurse. 

“Why would Selena strike out?” I inquire.

“Well, Lovren, the foster child, wouldn’t say anything about who did it or the events leading up to it, but I could link with the student who brought her in,” the nurse explains.

“Hold on, I am going to bring Jon into this since it has to deal with his den.” Putting the phone in speaker mode, I walk over to the wall that separates my office from my Gammas and knocks.

Jonathan looks up at my knock with a quizzical look. 

Motioning him to come over, he quickly joins me in my office. “Jonathan, I have Chris and Healer Bet on a conference call. It seems Selena claimed dominance on school grounds over your new foster child.”

Jonathan sighs heavily.

“You are not surprised,” I state after taking in my gamma’s reaction.

“No, not really,” he says as he sits. “Selena has always been much like Rachel was in high school. There was tension when we brought Lovren into the house, but I thought it would go away once they got used to each other.”

“Yeah, I don’t think that happens if she is trying to dominate her, " Christopher comments. 

“Healer Bet, who was the student that brought her in, and what did they say?” I push forward.

“The student who brought her in was Erik Ivanov, such a lovely boy. He said that he heard Selena tell Lovren that she is broken and unfixable and that she should know because no family wants to keep her. This was after she struck out.”

The information shocks everyone. Jonathan even looks like he is about to storm out of here and find his daughter.

Healer Bet continues, “Erik did say that Lovren looked as if she was ready to snap back, but he took her away because Selena is mated to Young Gamma Mitchell, and he didn’t want her to have repercussions.”

“Do the boys already have a bad reputation at the school, Chris?” I ask.

“Last year, when Mitch and Alex became official, nothing seemed to change, but over the summer, when Mitch and Selena mated, things seemed to take a turn,” answered my beta.

“I would have to agree with that. It’s like Selena runs the show between the two of them. You remember how it was when you first met your mate? Your whole world becomes her,” comments Jonathan.

“Alpha, Beta, Gamma, as the school healer may I offer some sage advice?” tentatively asks Nurse Bet.

“Of course, Healer Bet. Your insight has always been welcome,” I say.

“Selena has always been feisty because she uses Jonathan’s position to boost her own. Now that she is mated to the next Gamma, it will multiply for her.”

“Jon, that will be problematic for the young counsel,” Chris comments. “If the pack senses that the new counsel sways to the whims of the gamma mated female, that could break the pack.”

 “I know, I will talk to Selena,” Jonathan wipes a hand down his face.

“No,” I declare. “Mikhail will handle this. As the Alpha Heir, he must ensure that his Gamma pair respects their title, the pack, and its grounds.”

“Understood, Alpha. I will support you in any way I can,” agrees Jonathan; meanwhile, agreements also spill from the phone. 

“Where is everyone now, Chris?” I ask.

“Well, school classes will be done shortly. You should be able to mindlink with Mikhail in about five minutes and not interrupt anything,” informs Chris. “The boys are all in the same class, while Erik and Lovren are together in another.”

“Good. I will inform my son of what happened. I want to meet with all of them in the conference room as soon as possible. Jonathan, see if you can have Andrei bring his brother and Lovren.”

“Understood,” my gamma says as he bows and leaves the office, searching for his task.

“Healer Bet, thank you for bringing this to our attention. We cannot have this year be rougher than it needs to be.”

“Oh, Alpha Stanislav, this year will be filled with tons of surprises. I can feel it. That Lovren is something else. She was already healing before she reached me. Have a nice day,” she says, and a click is heard.

Pulling a file out of my cabinet, I sit at my desk. The file is labeled ‘Romanov, Lovren,’ and within is the life of the foster child brought into the pack. 

The file is thicker than it should be for someone only 17. The pain, the instability, and the abuse that is within this folder are precisely why she should not have been brought here.  

However, after seeing her at the correctional facility in a pack in another country, my wolf Ivan wouldn’t let me walk away. He kept telling me she was more than what meets the eye and would be imperative to the pack. 

Jonathan’s wolf, Asher, was pushing him in the same way. Mentioning that it’s not every day you meet someone who survives a car accident covered in blood but hardly any scratches. 

Her tenacity to survive despite her conditions is intriguing, not to mention dealing with what she has and being on track to graduate high school with a perfect GPA. 

Healer Bet is right; Lovren is something else… but what??

The night has fallen as I make it home to the packhouse.

Immediately, I find my mate, Ekaterina, in the kitchen cooking with some of the pack’s omegas, who bow at my entry. 

“Hello, my lovely mate. How was your day?” I ask, pulling her into a hug and kissing my mate mark on her neck. 

“Not nearly as exciting as yours from what our son says,” she says, melting into my hold. “Mikhail learns his Luna is near and a display of dominance in the school.”

I hum in agreement, “It's an exciting first day of school for Mikhail, that is for sure. He handled it well. I think he is going to work with Jon to get Mitch to understand the title of Gamma better.”

“Tomorrow, I will see Rachel at the meeting. Do you want me to have her speak with Selena?”

“No, I am sure that she will talk with her tonight. If anything else happens, we must step up the consequence,” sighing. “I hope Mikhail picked the right counsel, one that is worthy.”

“The worst-case scenario would be Selena losing her title as a Gamma Female and member of the soon-to-be Luna’s counsel, right?” my mate inquires.

“True, that would be the last step we would take without putting Mitchell in an unfavorable position.”

“Well, I personally cannot wait to meet the Luna Heir. If Selena is not behaving by the time she is found and mated to Mikhail, then I will have to show her how to pick her council.”

Mikhail, come to my study, please. I mindlink my son.

Yes, Pa. I will be right there. Let me put away my books. Mitch and Alek are leaving in a few.

It isn’t long before my son joins me. He seems in good spirits, dressed in training gear, and most likely ready to go with the guard on patrol before tuning in for the night.

“You wanted to see me?” he asks, standing beside me near the fireplace. 

“I want your thoughts, as an Alpha, on the situation with Selena and Lovren.”

“I spoke briefly with the school healer before we came up for the meeting. She didn’t have much information but what she got from Erik was they don’t have a good relationship at home, which has transferred to school.”

I hum in acknowledgment but look at him to continue.

“We saw Lovren come into city hall shortly after the incident. I could smell the fresh blood and healing balm before I saw her bandaged face. She dismissed us, saying something about it not being our business,” he says with a scrunched brow.

“She has had a hard life, son. Maybe she doesn’t like sharing her pain.”

“That isn’t it. It was like she was afraid to tell us.”

“Well, she did get approached by the Young Alpha counsel after getting injured by one of their mates. She may not know what we are but even humans can feel the power the three of you hold.”

“That is the thing, Pa,” he turns to me with seriousness in his eyes. “My Alpha aura had no effect on her. She… She locked eyes with me. Then, later in the day, I watched her walk through the quad, and it was like no one saw her but me.”

“No one saw her?”

“No! Then! Then it seemed as if she knew I was watching her because she locked eyes with me but was mad about it,” Mikhail says with frustration.

I watch as he starts to pace, running his fingers through his hair, his eyes searching through the day's memories. Finally, he stops and looks at me, “Boyra is going nuts in my head. He has wanted me to find her since we first saw her.”

“Has he said why?”

“Again, the answer is no. I have never not had so many answers to your questions since I was a pup! He wants me to discover who she is and why she can ignore me.”

“Do that then. Tonight, let it rest. Go and ensure the pack's safety tonight. Tomorrow, you will have your chance to search for answers. Just don’t scare her,” I advise my son. He nods and leaves the study.

Christopher, I need you to change class schedules for a few of our students starting tomorrow. I mindlink my beta.

((edited on 9/14/24))

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Breaking and Entering (9) -Erik

Status: Ongoing Series

Word count for Chapter: 5,037

Word count for Story: 23,534

Genre: Werewolf

There are no chapter titles, but each chapter will have a name listed that indicates which POV the chapter is from. Mindlinks are in italics. Conversations with their inner wolf are in bold italics.

A little about the author: I am a mother of two beautiful children, one of whom has special needs. I started a Patreon for many reasons. Most recently, I almost died of septic shock and was in the hospital for 17 days and have an estimated 1-2 year recovery time. I do have a Patreon account to help support my family while I am on temporary disability

Warnings: NOT BETA READ!! This story will have a bit of angst, fluff, smut, f/m, and m/m. This chapter has trauma discussed pack dynamics, and discussions of bullying.

BREAKING AND ENTERING MASTER LIST

LDYSMFRST MASTER LIST

It is intense. 

I have heard of humans having auras and internal powers, but this is insane. How is she standing unwaveringly under the push of the two strongest Alphas in the state?

Ren is too focused on the Alphas to realize everyone awaits her decision. Discreetly, I lean over and whisper in her ear, “You have to formally accept before anyone will move, Ren.”

She still isn’t looking away from our Alphas. Does she have a death wish? Of course, the one human chick I think I will get along with will challenge the Pack leadership without knowing what she is doing. 

I hear her, still eyeing the Alpha duo, say, “I accept your apology Selena. Let us work on getting along better for the sake of everyone here.”

Now, there is almost an electric crackling in the air between the three of them. The whole table feels the energy pouring through the room, causing my wolf, Leo, to want to take charge and calm everyone down.

Glancing at Andrei, I can see that I am not the only one about to jump in if this turns sideways. The question is, who is going to protect who?

“If you will excuse me, I have to go and see the nurse again for my face,” she says, grabbing her bag. Wait… where is she going? No one was dismissed. Damn this girl. 

Ren continues to explain her way to the door with an excuse, “My face is really starting to hurt, and I am getting dizzy from not eating lunch. Ah yeah… so I would love to continue this ermm… discussion at another time.”

No, she… she is bolting out the door. She has to feel the energy in the room with how her hands are shaking. Is she not human?

It takes barely a breath before Alpha Heir Mikhail takes off after Ren.

 Oh, hell no.

Without a second thought… well, not even a first thought—I ran after her. She was scared or nervous, and the Alpha Heir would just make it worse. But how do I tell the Alpha Heir that the human girl needs space?

We leave the conference room in time to see the elevator doors close. Leo is pacing in my head. Looking at the Alpha Heir, I am sure Borya is doing the same in his.

All we could do is watch her leave.

Following the Alpha Heir to the window, we can see Ren dash not towards the town but towards the fields and the forest beyond the school grounds.

“Alpha Heir, she isn’t safe in the forest. At least not in the headspace she is in now,” I remark, trying to urge him to do something respectfully.

Sighing, he looks at me with squinted eyes, “You know her? Lovren?”

Dropping my eyes to the floor, I answer, “Ah well.. Know might be a strong word for it. More like we just kinda officially met today, Alpha Mikhail.”

At the sound of footsteps, our attention goes toward the conference room. The rest of Alpha Mikhail’s counsel joins us at the window as Rachel and Selena head to the elevator.

“What was that?” asks Gamma Mitchell. To whom? I am not sure, but I return to look at the floor. 

“No clue but Borya won’t stop pacing. She didn’t back down. How could she not back down?” complains Alpha Mikhael with a sense of exasperation. 

Feeling like eyes are boring into me. I look up and see Beta Aliaksandr eyeing me like I know secrets. “You. It’s Erik, right?”

“Yes, Beta Aliaksandr. Erik Ivanov,” bowing my head to the higher ranking pack member. 

“Erik!” calls my brother as he exits the conference room. “You know, Lovren. Where would she go right now? Alpha Stanislav wants me to guard her.”

“So you do know her! Why did you lie?” commands the Alpha Heir.

“Thanks, bro,” I roll my eyes and look back at the present counsel. “I don’t know Lovren. I know OF Lovren. My wolf, Leo, caught her scent when I was starting doing patrols with Andrei over summer.”

“I was the one who told the guard about her nightly wanderings because my wolf wouldn’t let me leave her alone with out guarding her like a pup, even though I am sure she is older than me by a month or two,” I explained. 

“So that is why you said she isn’t safe in the forest,” comments the Alpha Heir.

“What!” exclaims Andrei, stepping closer to the group. His actions pulled a low growl from the Alpha Heir. “I am sorry, Alpha Mikhael, but when she goes on her forest hikes she tends to go to the tails near the lake… near the border.”

“Hence why it’s not safe for her in the forest. She is easy to guide though. Oddly attuned to softer energy pushes, howls and even whines back if she is unsure of where to go,” a small smile plays across my face at remembering her cute, confused expression.

“You have a crush on her,” states Gamma Mitchell.

Immediately, my brother and I started laughing. Our reactions confuse the Alpha Heir counsel. It’s now that Gamma Jonathan and Beta Christopher come out.

“Andrei! Aren’t you supposed to be finding the girl?” questions Gamma Jonathan.

“Yes, sir. I was just speaking with my brother, our resident Lovren expert, on her habits to see where she might have gone,” he informs them.

Beta Christopher chimes in with a confused look, “And that is something funny?”

Attempting to control my chuckling, I finally can say, “No, Sir. Your Gamma Heir thinks I have a crush on Lovren.”

This also makes the two adults chuckle. Looking to the Alpha Heir counsel, Beta Christopher says, “Seems it’s not only Alpha Mikhail who needs to learn more about the pack.”

Beta Christopher, gaining more confused looks among the younger counsel, says, “You see, Erik would never be interested in Lovren like that.”

“He means I am gay. I don’t find women attractive, which is why it is even more interesting that Leo and I want to find ourselves close to Lovren,” smiling softly at the expressions of understanding that come over the three.

Looking at Andrei, “She went into the forest. The lake would be calming for her now, but with how much she was shaking… I wouldn’t be surprised if she goes as far as the falls.”

“Thanks, lil bro,” he pats me on the shoulder. “Counsels,” he bows to the remaining men and heads to the elevator himself.

Watching him go, Leo wants me to follow him and find her, too. The only reason I don’t go is that the pack protocol states that high-ranking pack members must dismiss me. 

The only problem is, who would be considered the highest when I have the current Beta and Gamma here with the Alpha Heir and his counsel?

“Erik, Alpha Stanislov wants the three of us to go to the pack house,” informs Aliaksandr. “Why don’t you come with us? I would like to learn more about what happened today from your point of view.”

“Me?” I was shocked. I had never spoken to them before today, and now they had invited me to the packhouse with them. 

“Yeah, why not?” questions Mitchell. “I have seen your scores in warrior training. They are impressive. Gamma Jonathan and I were gonna reach out to you and Andrei.”

I swear my mouth drops at the fact they noticed my score. My eyes flit to Gamma Jonathan, who nods like it's no biggie. Shifting my feet, I look to the Alpha Heir, “I could come. If you want.”

The Alpha Heir takes a long look at me, and it feels like he is looking into me. His eyes take in everything as if I am laid bare. “Common, we can take my car,” he smiles. We can order pizza on the way home. That way, we can eat, talk, and then maybe do a study session. That’s what high schoolers do, right?”

The ride to the pack house wasn’t as uncomfortable as I thought. 

The Alpha Heir counsel explained why Alpha Heir Mikhail was starting high school this year. I mean, it made sense. Most of the pack already knew who he was for the pack but not who he was as a person. Now, did I ever think I would be anywhere close to him or his counsel? 

No, but here I am, chatting about student life, teacher expectations, and cafeteria food. For the most part, the Alpha Heir listens to everything. Taking in what the three of us say, it is almost like he is a fly on the wall.

“So, have you picked your elective and sport for this year?” the Alpha Heir asks as we discuss what classes we have and with whom.

“Yes, Alpha. I have choir and swimming,” I respond respectfully. “Swimming doesn’t start until tomorrow, though. Today, there was only general physical ed information at the orientation.”

“Misha,” states the Alpha Heir firmly. His Beta and Gamma get big, toothy smiles as I look lost.

“Excuse me, Alpha?”

“Let’s drop formalities, Erik. You can call me Misha,” he says. Looking over his shoulder at me, he smiles and says, “All my friends do.”

Clapping me on the shoulder, Gamma Mitchell says, “Yeah! Call me Mitch. You click well with us, and with scores like yours… I’d love to have you as my second.”

“Your second? Like, as in Second in Command of the Guards?” I swear I must sound stupid. Guards… no, there is like no way.

“Good, it’s settled. I will add you into our training rotations,” Mitch says before his eyes haze as he mindlink Goddess knows who. 

“I go by Alek,” the Beta says from the passenger seat. “Today is full of surprises.”

“You can say that again,” I mumble to myself.

When we arrive at the pack house, we waltz in the front door like we own the place. Well… more accurately, they waltzed as I scampered. 

Luna Ekaterina is lovely as always, giving me a warm welcome to the pack house and letting me know that I can come and go as I please because there are always “guest rooms available.”

Pizza was ordered and arrived while I was given a quick tour. Now, the four of us are lounging in Misha’s (so weird to say) room with some foreign pop band playing in the background.

“This is some seriously good pizza,” I praise while grabbing my third slice. “We always make it at home. Eating out or ordering in has always been for celebrations.”

“Really? Why is that?” questions Mitch with a mouth full.

Taking a moment, I think of how to put it simply, “I don’t know if you guys know… well. Okay.” Taking a breath and putting down my slice, I share with them, “Andrei is the head of our den and with him being the only one working, we are on a tight budget.”

“Don’t get me wrong. He gets paid well and we can afford nice things here and there but we live modestly.” Looking around at them, I smile. “My dam is human and has cancer, late stage, and our father retired early to be her caretaker.”

“Wait, so they don’t live with you or…” Misha’s question dies off.

“They don’t live with us. After Andrei’s mom, our father’s moonmate, died in an accident, he found a second chance mate with my human mother. When she was diagnosed, he quit so they could travel to find a cure or let her see the wonders of the world before she passes.”

The room fills with silence. Memories of my mother, the postcards, the videos, and the phone calls fill my mind’s eye.

“Have you told my father’s counsel?” asks Misha. 

Shaking my head, “No. My father and Andrei said that they didn’t want to. My father had a good job and is pretty well set. We send them money here and there to show support and love. They both refuse me to work until after Uni. So, we do our best to save up and see what happens.”

“Who was your father? What was in the pack?” pipes up Alek.

“Mom is Lidya and she was a waitress at the diner. Dad is Maxim and he was a painter. He taught Art history and stuff to an online University. He was classified as a warrior til Andrei’s dam, Tessa, passed away.”

“I have no family,” states Alek. “A hunter killed my parents. I went crazy protecting my sister. Then we had to be separated so that I wouldn’t go feral. Sometimes, it’s the darkest times that will allow us to find inner strength that no one else would have.”

“What he means,” Mitch says pointedly, “He went berserk before his wolf presented. To protect his only living family member his wolf forced his way out. It was a miracle they both survived.”

“Now, we are lucky enough to have him as the next Pack Beta,” declares Misha.

Nodding in understanding, “I remember the first time I saw you, Alek. Well, it was actually Zakhar that I saw. He seemed to scare everyone but all I could feel was pain and power. Leo said that you could have been an Alpha in your own right.”

“Noooope. Never. I don’t want that, especially with having the ability to go berserk,” Alek comments. “I wouldn’t be a stable Alpha for any pack.”

“Why do I surround myself with people with a hard history?” mutters Misha.

“Huh?” I question him with a tilted head.

Chuckling, Mitch turns to me, “I don’t know my father. My mom won’t tell anyone who it is. She said that she was moonmated, they mated but he rejected her and then later on I was born.”

Mitch points to himself, “Fatherless.” Pointing to Alex, “Berserker due to extreme death of family trauma.” Points to me, “Brother’s dam has passed and your dam has cancer.”

“Then there is Lovren,” comments Misha. “Borya wants to be around her. She is a foster kid due to family death.”

“Yeah, I guess you do collect Jaded or Scarred friends.”

Shrugging his shoulders, Misha smiles, “Well so far everyone is a good person so I don’t see it as a bad thing. But… ah… Can you tell us what happened today with Lovren?”

“Oh yeah, start from the beginning. Like you woke up this morning, got dressed, and decided what?? Stalk Lovren at school?” That is when Alek hits Mitch in the head with a pillow. “What? Just asking.”

“Don’t mind him,” Alex says, holding another pillow ready to launch. 

I just smile and laugh, “Okay, okay. So yes, I did wake up and shower. That is typically how I start my day, but that really was the only thing typical about my day.”

“Do I have to pick a sport this year? Can you just, I don't know, like get me excused from PE since I am on patrol training rounds with you, Andrei?” I call from the bathroom. 

“No, it’s your senior year, little bro. You need to gain bonds with your generation,” my elder brother says. 

“Well, shit,” I sigh, looking at myself in the mirror.

While I like training, I don’t hate school and am not too fond of PE-based sports. You would think watching the boys in their jerseys and PE shorts would be fun, and it is, but you have to participate. 

“You know they finished the pool at the school over the summer, right?” asked my brother as he leaned against the door. “They should be offering that and I am pretty sure that.”

“That girl!” I cut off my brother, “She is always swimming in the lake. Do you think she will take swimming?” 

“Are you sure you aren’t bi?” questions Andrei, pushing me aside to finish getting ready himself.

“Abundantly, sure,” I state. Then I tilt my head, thinking, “Leo would have to be gay too, right? Like if I am gay… he has to be gay.”

“Go finish getting ready, you fabulous brother of mine,” he says with a smile. “You have to look.. What's the word now… Slammin’ for your first day of senior year.”

“Agh that is sooo 2000 and late, Bro! It’s Sheesh Sheesh now or something like that,” I tease back as I head to my room.

I wonder… Maybe dressing like her would make me more approachable. Scrounging through my clothes, I wore black skinny jeans, a Green Day tour shirt, a black and purple Joker hoodie, and Converse.

“That is a new look,” Andrei comments as we walk to the car. “Gothic grunge?”

“I thought it might make it easier for her to feel comfortable if I approached her like this,” I say, getting in the car.

Shaking his head, Andrei pulls out and starts to take us to the school.

I haven’t seen her yet today, but only two periods have gone by, and it's a decent-sized school. Maybe she is homeschooled?

Oh no, what if she is homeschooled?

Wait, is that growling? On the school campus? Turning the corner, my heart drops for two reasons:

1- I finally found her, but she reeks of blood as she cups her cheek while waves of shock and anger roll off her like an ocean storm.

2- She is being stalked, for lack of a better word, by Selen and her terrors.

That's when I heard Selena say, “Don't you ever think you will complete anyone? You are nothing but a broken soul that can never be fixed. You should know this now since no family wants to keep you." 

Warning! Warning! Leo is going ape-shit in my head to protect the wandering girl. Without another thought, I race up behind her, grab her shoulder, and pull her away. 

"Wait! Who the hell are you?" she asks, jerking out of my grip.

"Erik, my name is Erik, and you're bleeding all over your hoodie. I just want to take you to the school healer. She needs to tend to your face quickly, and you need to learn to avoid Selena and her terrors."

"Oh, t-thanks," she stutters an apology as she hisses. "How the heck did she do that? Is she Wolverine or something?"

Looking over her face more, my only thought is Selena must have partly shifted to make a scratch that deep. 

Cursing her in my mind, I attempt a friendly smile. Retaking her arm, I say, “Scarily accurate, but come on, you need to see a healer." 

At least this time, she doesn’t fight me.

When I get her to Healer Bet’s office, the elder woman smiles at us like she just baked a perfect pie. She is kind of like the grandmother everyone always wanted. However, she is a stickler for rules and shoos me away to go to my next class.

Yeah, not gonna happen. Besides, it’s just history or econ or something like that. I can get the syllabus later. Pacing outside, I try to listen to anything through the door, but nothing can be heard.

Erik?

Yes, Healer Bet. Is the girl okay? Do I need to get Andrei to drive us to the hospital?

Such a good boy you are to the new girl. She will be fine, but she won’t tell me what happened, can you?

Oh yeah, Selena must have shifted her hand and scratched her. They were arguing about her being broken, unfixable and something about no family keeping her.

Thank you, Erik. She will be out in a moment. I have already informed both of your third-period teachers of why you are absent. I’d stick around her if I were you. She is going to need a friend; I can feel it.

Lost in my own head about what Healer Bet said, I hear, "Hey… it's Erik, right?”

Turning around, I finally looked at her—like I really looked at her. She has beautiful eyes, but they seem lost or confused, which I am sure is reflected in my own face.

 "Thank you for helping me, but why are you still here?" she questioned. 

"I, ah… I wanted to make sure you were okay. Selena can be a bitch sometimes, but today she seems to be in rare form. It makes sense after what happened over the summer break,” I say with a smile because why would I not stay to ensure she is okay?

“Anyway, you are new here, right?" I ask. Of course, I know the answer, but I can’t sound like I know that. I don’t want her to think I am a creep. 

"You could tell that easily, huh?"  she says.

I go to answer her while still trying to figure out how not to sound like a stalker creep, but she keeps talking. "Yeah, it's my first day, and I know about Selena. I am her foster sister. She has never been friendly since the day I moved in. Not that I am expecting to be her best friend or anything."

"That has to be terrible. Living with that? Well, anytime you want to get a break, you are welcome to call me. You got your cell?" I ask.

Yes! A way to keep in touch like a normal non-creep. I hold out my hand to give her my number, again another point in the ‘I am not a creep’ scoreboard. 

She looks away from me. Okay, take that point away.  "Umm… I don't have a cell. Never have. Don't have anyone who wants to keep tabs on me or keep in touch." 

No one… there is… how could anyone in their right mind not want to be friends with her? 

I gently lift her head up with a knuckle under her chin. A slight blush dusts her cheeks, highlighting the sprinkle of freckles. When her head is tilted up so that she can look me in the eye, a slight shudder runs through her. 

This causes Leo to chuff and proceed to gloat.

 She is responsive to our touch. Maybe she is a werewolf, like us? 

Oh, hush, Leo. She is a loner and probably isn’t used to people touching her, but she hasn’t backed away.

My smile falters at the thought, "Maybe I shouldn’t be touching her, too. "

"Well, you do now, but I kinda need to know your name first if we are gonna be friends. Up to you, of course," I remark. Although my confidence in my actions has dropped drastically to the point I worry that I might have screwed things up. 

Quickly, I stuff my hands in my pockets, hoping she sees that as my being respectful and leaving the choice up to her. I look around the campus, trying to gather my next step… Hmm... no phone.

She clears her throat before saying, "I would like to be friends. I just don't know how long I am going to be here. I don't seem to last long in any one place. I'm not sure you want to waste your time." 

Now, she is giving me a chance to back out and leave. What she doesn’t know is how long I have wanted to introduce myself.

"Hold on." Taking my backpack out, I pull out a piece of paper and a pen. I jot down my cell number and address, then hand it to her: "Here. That's my cell number and address. If you live with the Moores, you are about two blocks from my house. You can call me or come by whenever. I will be your friend for as long as you breathe. If you want." 

Pulling out my phone, I noticed that Healer Bet wasn’t wrong. Sighing softly, I ask, "What's your next class? We pretty much missed our third-period class."

"Oh, the fourth period is open for me. I was going to hide out somewhere, but you should get to class. Bye,” she tells me, then runs off like her pants are on fire.

What did I do wrong? I didn’t even get her name. Her name, I internal panic as I call out, "Hey! Can I get your name, at least?"

"You can call me Ren."

The rest of the day is typical high school blah blah blahblablah.  That is until I am sitting in choir class, chatting up with some of the girlies who either know I am gay or wanna spill some tea. 

Blood.

We all smelled it. Looking at the choir room door, Ren is standing there with the first look of calm and peace I have seen on her face since she moved here. Her jeweled eyes are lit up with excitement.

We have a class together! Wait a minute, I yell, “It’s Ren! You sing too?” 

Hold on. Why is she looking like she has seen a ghost? Looking around me, I notice everyone staring at her like she is prey. Oh no, that won’t do.

“Hey, she is new to the school. Find your seats and give her some room. She is kind of shy and hasn’t had the best first day,” I say, shooing them away. Patting the chair next to me, I wave her over. 

“Goddess, please let this be a way for us to connect in whatever way you deem it so,” I mumble under my breath as she sits beside me. 

Damn, my popularity in this class. Practically everyone else that came in after Ren haaaaddd to say hi. I could feel the nervousness sitting around her like a cloud of doom. However, she was polite and greeted those who also spoke to her. 

As always, Mr. Bon started the class with necessary but tedious material, followed by the warm-ups. Oh My Goddess!

Ren has such a warm, deep tone in her voice. I couldn’t help but keep looking at her when she hit notes that could easily be within tenor range. It makes me feel like I can take on the world.

I notice her face taking a little bit of a brighter red and smile at her. Glancing at the other choir students nearby, I can see that I am not the only one enamored by the sound of her beautiful voice.  

Next up is the placement showcase. 

Shoot. 

Glancing at the clock, I calculate that we can only get through about half the class. Luckily for Ren, Mr. Bon always starts with the males in the class—something about allowing the ladies to settle in.

This year, along with the typical scales and such, Mr. Bon is having us do some sight reading of a piece by Carissima called ‘Vittoria, Vittoria mio core!’ It’s one of my favorites, and I have no problem singing the whole thing, 

1- it allows me to show off my talent, which I don’t mind if I do.

2- it eats up the rest of the time on the clock to ensure Ren doesn’t have to sing today with her cheek like that

As I am finishing my slightly embellished version of the song, I glance at Ren to see an actual smile on her face.

The class listened to Mr. Bon explain that I sang this at last year’s graduation, which is why I know it so well.

Then the bell rings, and the school day ends. When I turned around to ask Ren what she thought, I found an empty seat.

 “After that, I saw you confront Selena and got the link from Andrei to come with you to your dad’s office.” 

By this time, everyone seemed taken back a bit by how the day went. I don’t think any of them understood what really happened. I knew from the meeting that they had learned something from someone.

“Other than Erik, does anyone else have class with her?” questions Misha.

“I don’t, unless it was her or Erik that missed Coach Primer’s Economics and Government class,” answers Alek.

“I have Ms. Mullech for Econ and Gov,” I clarify. Gaining looks of pity from Mitch and Alek. “Yeah, tell me about it. She already wants us to write a 7 page paper on the basics of the US Government! The only good thing is the double spacing.”

Chuckling comes from Misha as he looks at me pointedly and says, “You do realize you have an Alpha Heir for a friend now right? I learned all that years ago. If you need help, any of you, we can meet up.”

Smiling shyly, I rub my arms: “Ah. yeah, that is gonna get some getting used to Misha. But, I will hold ya to it. Speaking of which, we should probably get to the study group portion of the afternoon before I have to head home.”

“Why? Gotta check in with your brother to see how Lovren is doing?” Mitch says teasingly.

Then, in a sing-songy voice, Alek says, “Someone is being a knight in shining armor.”

“Guys, it’s not li… okay well maybe it is,” sounding exasperated I rub my hands over my face. “I don’t know what it is but Leo and I really want to make sure she is okay and protect her. It’s like our only choice right now but we both know she isn’t our mate.”

“Huh. You might wanna talk to Beta Chris or even my dad about that. They might have an idea about what is happening. If not, maybe even Healer Bet could explain it more,” offers Misha.

“Healer Bet? Why would she know more?” I ask Misha. 

“You don’t know, do you?” He asks me back, then says, “Healer Bet came to my father ten years ago, but back then, she went by a different title: Seer Devana.”

Scooting on the floor to get closer to the edge of his bed: “So she wasn’t born in the pack?”

“No,” answered Misha. “She told my father that she came here because she was given a prophecy that told her something about needing to come and heal the invisible broken and restore the lost.”

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Breaking and Entering (10) - Jonathan

Status: Ongoing Series

Word count for Chapter: 4,093

Word count for Story: 27,627

Genre: Werewolf

There are no chapter titles, but each chapter will have a name listed that indicates which POV the chapter is from. Mindlinks are in italics. Conversations with their inner wolf are in bold italics.

A little about the author: I am a mother of two beautiful children, one of whom has special needs. I started a Patreon for many reasons. Most recently, I almost died of septic shock and was in the hospital for 17 days and have an estimated 1-2 year recovery time. I do have a Patreon account to help support my family while I am on temporary disability

Warnings: NOT BETA READ!! This story will have a bit of angst, fluff, smut, f/m, and m/m. This chapter has a discussion involving child trafficking, pedophilia, and drug running. It also has hints of planned SA, bratty behaviors, and off-page death.

BREAKING AND ENTERING MASTER LIST

LDYSMFRST MASTER LIST

"The two of you are free to leave, but remember, Lovren is off-limits. If I catch wind of any more disturbances on pack grounds,” commands Alpha Stanislav. 

Sensing the gravity of the situation, my wife and daughter rise from their seats and bow their heads, baring their necks in a show of submission.

“Yes, Alpha Stanislav. We understand. There will be no more incidents. Right, Selena?” Rachel prompts, her voice filled with a mix of fear and respect.

“Of course, Alpha. You won’t hear a thing,” states Selena as she backs away timidly.  

I continue to refrain from looking at my family, trying my best, for now, not to lose my temper over the situation as they leave the office. Young Alpha Mikhail’s counsel bows respectfully and leaves as well. 

“I haven’t seen someone gain a reaction like that from your son… ever,” comments Beta Christopher, to which I nod in agreement. 

“Keep an eye on her, but don’t scare her, Andrei. Selena is your daughter, Jonathan, but I don’t trust her nor Lovren not to cause trouble,” Alpha Stanislav comments, dismissing Andrei to chase after my foster daughter.

“You are dismissed. I have a few things to do before I return to the pack house,” instructs my Alpha.

Beta Christopher and I leave the office together: “I can’t believe she has taken it this far. She seemed so agreeable to bringing Lovren into the family at the beginning.”

“It may be due to Lovren being so close in age to your daughter. Perhaps if she had been younger and more like a ‘little sister,’ then it would have worked out,” comments Christopher. “Right now, Lovren is something new, different, and that creates insecurity for Selena.”

Sighing, I say, “That makes sense. I still, they both knew this was a tricky situation. I have to get home and have a talk with them.”

Laughter pulls my attention to the small cluster of boys near the window, “Andrei! Aren’t you supposed to be finding the girl?”

“Yes, sir. I was just speaking with my brother, our resident Lovren expert, on her habits to see where she might have gone,” responds Andrei.

Beta Christopher chimes in with a confused look, “And that is something funny?”

Failing to control his laughter, Erik says, “No, Sir. Your Gamma Heir thinks I have a crush on Lovren.”

The shock on my face was quickly followed by restrained laughter. I remember the first time Erik realized he was gay. He was so worried that he would never be able to have a family and raise a pup of his own. 

 Christopher finally says, “Seems it’s not only Alpha Mikhail who needs to learn more about the pack.”

The younger counsel looked confused, which caused me to chuckle harder. Christopher added, “You see, Erik would never be interested in Lovren like that.”

“He means I am gay. I don’t find women attractive, which is why it is even more interesting that Leo and I want to find ourselves close to Lovren,” Erik clarifies, smiling softly at the expressions of understanding that come over his peers.

Erik then turns to his brother, “She went into the forest. The lake would be calming for her now, but with how much she was shaking… I wouldn’t be surprised if she goes as far as the falls.”

“Thanks, lil bro,” Andrei pats Erik on the shoulder. “Counsels,” he bows to the two counsels and heads to the elevator.

Watching him go, I see that Erik or his wolf wants to follow him and find Lovren. He doesn't bolt after Andrei because the pack protocol states that high-ranking members must dismiss him. Erik has so much potential in the pack but needs to gain self-confidence. 

“Erik, Alpha Stanislav wants the three of us to go to the pack house,” informs the Young Beta Aliaksandr. “Why don’t you come with us? I would like to learn more about what happened today from your point of view.”

“Me?” Erik said in shock. 

“Yeah, why not?” questions Young Beta Mitchell. “I have seen your scores in warrior training. They are impressive. Gamma Jonathan and I were gonna reach out to you and Andrei.”

His reaction of pure shock and almost embarrassment supports my thoughts that Erik still hasn’t grown into himself enough. Maybe spending time with the Young Alpha’s counsel will help him.

His eyes flit to me, seeking confirmation that I have noticed his remarkable skills. I simply nod. ?he shifts in place and then looks at the Alpha Heir, “I could come. If you want.”

The Alpha Heir looks at Erik as if he sees the same uncertainty that I do. Young Gamma Mitchell and Beta Aliaksandr are doing the same. This fills me with a sense of pride because the next council is showing care for a pack member. Noting the undercurrent of emotions, I can see the plans forming within their minds on how to improve Erik. 

“Common, we can take my car,” Young Alpha Mikhail smiles. “We can order pizza on the way home. That way, we can eat, talk, and then maybe do a study session. That’s what high schoolers do, right?”

Seeing that the boys have everything under control, I elbow Christopher before saying, “I will talk with my family and Mitch. See you tomorrow?”

“Yeah. I don’t envy your night, but remember if you need anything…” Christopher trails off as he watches the boys all pile in the elevator. 

“Thanks. See ya,” I comment, walking over to the elevator to wait for it to return.

Make sure you both are home when I get there. We need to talk.

We just parked, my love. Selena is grounded to her room.

Good, she needs more than just that, but we will discuss that together.

“Here, Alpha and Gamma, we have our young adult detention center that you requested to see,” said Gamma Liam of the Kenize Pack in Canada. “The genders are housed separately but they are able to interact during designated times throughout the day.”

“Do you mix humans with rogues and pups?” questions Alpha Stanislav.

Nodding, the Gamma answered, “We do because it's such a small range. We end up taking in offenders from the nearby packs as well. We don’t have many humans here, but we have three right now.”

Pointing to the lunch room, he indicates two males playing table tennis and a female sitting in the corner with a book. 

Once my eyes landed on the girl, my wolf Asher surged forward with a growl. It shocked not only myself but the two others with me.

Keep her. She is ours.

Asher, she is a criminal and is in a different country. We can’t do that.

The girl is ours. We need to bring her home.

“Everything alright, Jon?” questions my Alpha. 

I open my mouth to assure him everything is fine but freeze. “I'm not sure, Alpha.” Looking at the other Gamma, I ask, “What can you tell me about the girl?”

The Gamma looks down at the floor below and tilts his head, almost at a loss for words, before he says, “She has a file practically two inches thick. She is an orphan and has made a ruin of the Foster Care system before she crossed the boarded to come here.. She was caught squatting in one of the guard shacks that we had closed for repairs.”

Looking back at the girl, she startles me by looking straight back. I keep eye contact, letting Asher push forward. The girl closes her book and stands up, and then I feel like a wave is pushed over me. Asher is yipping, chirping, and chuffing in my head like he has found a long-lost pup.

“Jonathan, stand down,” orders Alpha Stanislav. “Gamma Liam, we will need to speak with your Alpha about her. I have a feeling neither one of our wolves will leave with her still in this center.”

“Very well, he is actually in his office now. If you follow me please,” says the Gamma, leading the way.

“She said she got here, how?” asked Alpha Stanislav.

“Her records say that her mother and father sought asylum from Russia in America and died in a car accident three months after they settled down. Lovren was only 7-years-old at the time. Since then she has been through the American Foster system having several families,” replies Alpha Noah.

Reading over the file while the two Alphas discuss, my mind wanders back to the conversations about the human criminal I overheard during the North America Summit. They called her a “paunchy bad hat” that they couldn’t wait to “shag” after they broke her down.

“You do understand that some of your men are the reason why we are asking about her?” I growl out the question.

Alpha Noah seems confused at the disgust he hears in my tone. Still, before he can say anything, I continue, “At the NAS, a group of your guards, come of who we saw there today, expressed their dislike for this child’s physical features and her troublesome way while planning to fuck her once they harassed her enough?”

“That would never happen on my pack grounds,” declares Alpha Noah.

Growls rise from Alpha Stanislav and me at this blatant lie, which tastes sour on my tongue. Standing up and stalking forward to his desk, I threw down my other file.

“We have documentation from testimonies and medical records that prove that your correctional facility has child trafficking, pedophilia, and drug running operations,” Alpha Stanislav states. 

“You may not know precisely what is going on because you share control of the facility with the Bleu Pack, but I refuse to believe someone as smart as you wouldn’t be clueless,” I add. 

Alpha Noah stands quickly and closes the door to his office. Walking over to the window in his office, he says, “I have had suspicions, but the Bleu Pack is larger than mine, more brutal, and they… they leave us alone as long as we look the other way.”

“I know it doesn’t make it right, and I have sent multiple quests to the Magistrate but they haven’t made a move yet,” he continues, dropping onto the couch.

Sharing a look of understanding with Alpha Stanislav, I say, “We will have these delivered to your Magistrate to help out. Unfortunately, we are too far away to personally assist but we hope this helps.”

With a grateful expression, “Thank you, Gamma Jonathan. I with we were closer in proximity because I would do anything to repay your pack’s kindness. Honestly, Alpha Stanislav, Thank you.”

“Anything you say?” Alpha Stanislav questions.

The drive home brings back memories of the first time I saw Lovren. I knew she was different and unique. I didn’t know why Alpha Stanislav agreed to put the broken girl in my car, but I was more than excited. 

Pulling into the driveway, my lovely mate stands on the porch waiting for me. Rachel and I have struggled to understand how to treat Lovren. I wanted to treat her as another daughter and show her what familial love and warmth felt like, but Rachel wanted to treat her with distance because of her past. 

Walking to Rachel, I can see the tentativeness in her motions as she fears I will be mad when I get home. Pulling her into a tight hug, scenting her with calming pheromones, and kissing her head, I lean into our mate bond with nothing but love.

“My mate, I am not angry with you. I am upset with our daughter,” I softly say. “I get that she is dealing with a new sister and gaining her wolf but she needs to learn to control herself and live with humility if she is going to end up being future Luna's Gamma.”

“I know. I thought by now they would have at least talked it out,” Rachel agrees. “Maybe it’s time to tell Selena about Lovren’s history. The non-sensored version.”

I sigh at the thought: “That is a larger conversation than I hoped to have tonight, but you are not wrong. It does need to happen. I would like to have it with a few others present as well.”

Pulling slightly out of my hold, my mate looks at me confusedly, “Who else would need to know?”

“With permission from Alpha Stanislav, I would like to have the Young Alpha’s counsel attend and maybe in that Erik boy and his brother.”

“You have a point. It seems like Erik has taken on the role of a guardian best friend with Lovren but he has never come around the house.”

“I think today was the first official meeting for Lovren and Erik,” I comment, which pulls a shocked chirp from my mate. “Erik’s wolf, Leo, was the first pack member who spotted her and ever since he keeps watch over her in wolf form when she sneaks out at night. He was the one to warn the guard of her habit of getting near the border.”

“Oh. That is unusual isn’t it?”

“My love, is anything involving Lovren normal?”

“I don’t get why we had to foster her,” grits out Selena. Storming into the living room after dinner, we tried to discuss what had happened that day. 

Following her as she plops on the couch, I say, “Don’t you ever walk away like that. We have discussions in this family and do not stomp around like a youngling pup.”

“What your father and I are trying to say is,” Rachel says, sitting next to our daughter on the couch. “Please do not cause trouble with Lovren. We did not bring her on to replace you. Your dad and our Alpha had an instinctual need to bring her into the pack– human or not.”

“But her history! Defying authority, committing crimes, and running away. Alpha Stanislav listed them all today. Why would I want to be a sister to someone like that?” questioned Selena.

Sitting on the coffee table, I take Selna’s hands in mine, “There is so much more to her story that you don’t know, and once I speak with Alpha Stanislav, we will tell you and the others. She has had a rough life. I would like to see anyone else make it through while maintaining the strength that she has shown.”

“Give your father this week to settle things up, and then we will discuss this more,” says Rachel before her face turns stoic. Then, with her voice firm, she says, “Selena, you have to practice controlling Trisha and your emotions better.”

“As your parents, we cannot condone or support partial shifting while on school grounds, no matter what anyone says,” I state. “You are grounded for the month. You may take the bus to attend school, cheer practice because it’s related to school, and training, but going out, watching TV, and your cell phone are all out of the question.”

“BUUTT Dad! I need my car for practice! My phone, too. How will they know when we can schedule extra practices, or how can I send updated routine videos? Not all of the squad pack,” whines Selena.

“Guess that is what your friends are for. Send everything through them or make sure to have your ducks in a row for the normal practice times,” comments Rachel. “You forget, we didn’t have texting or cell phones when I was captain of the cheer squad. Deal with it.”

“AGGGHHH. You two are just GAHHH!” complains Selena, and she storms to her room. Shortly after, she returns long enough to toss her keys and cell phone on the coffee table and then returns to her room with a slam of the door.

“That went well,” my mate giggles. “The sooner you can set up that meeting, the better, love.”

“Absolutely not,” Beta Christopher says. “That isn’t your story to tell them.”

Pacing in the conference room, I think of a way to make this work. We must tell the five of them what to look out for with Lovren. Looking at Alpha Stanislav, I ask, “What if we just tell them about how our wolves reacted to her in that godforsaken compound? Explain to them it was instinct to bring her here?”

“They already know some of what she has gone through because of the meeting. You can’t tell me that no one else saw whatever was going on between Lovren and your son,” I continue to push. “Maybe telling them will allow them to look at her with something other than the thought of her being an outsider.”

Beta Chris goes to speak, but Alpha Stanislav raises his hand to say, “I get what you are trying to do. I agree that we should share at least that much but why so soon?”

I start feeling nervous. Lovren is human—at least she smells human—buy, “Lovren turns 18 a week from Friday Pack regulations…”

“Say she must have a party and meet the eligible unmated pack members,” Alpha Stanislav finishes my sentence with a perplexed look. 

“Hold on,” says Beta Christopher, leaning forward. “Let me get this straight. You both had your wolves react to this girl. You brought her here months ago but now we’re worried about her meeting pack because she is turning of age?”

Dropping into my seat, I look at the pack Beta and clarify, “She doesn’t know about the pack. She is practically a lone wolf, figuratively speaking. I think other than my family, the only other pack she has spoken to would have been the Young Alpha’s council and Ivanov brothers.”

Beta Chris’s eyes pop in shock at the statement. He looks between the two of us and then furrows his brow. Taking a breath, he goes to speak but stops. 

“She had met some of the guards, only in passing, when she was in the library over the summer, but she never spoke to any of them. They all know of her because of Erik’s warning of her hiking habits,” I add. 

“So how are we going to have a party for someone with a friend when practically the whole pack has to be involved?” asks Beta Christopher. 

A few beats of silence fill the conference room while everyone is deeply thinking about the current million-dollar question. Hosting a party at the house would feel weird and pointless because she didn’t even come out for Selena’s. Plus, would she even be comfortable with one? I don’t think so.

“We don’t. Lovren isn’t the kind of girl who would want a grandiose party nor will she understand why people she doesn’t even know are there,” comments Alpha Stanislav. 

“Chris, don’t you hold a ‘welcome back to school’ thing every year?” I ask.

He nods, “Yeah, its the same week of her birthday. We have a spirit week and end with a carnival. Why?”

“What if you held a rally? Like a mandatory rally at the end of the day on her birthday. It would require all the students to be there but you can open it to allow parents and siblings to join,” I suggest. 

“That is a good idea. We typically do it at the start of the week but that can be easily moved since it hasn’t been announced yet. I can switch it to the day schedule as well. So they can all get their classes out of the way and it won’t interfere with the working parents that much,” Beta Chris agrees. 

“Chris, did you rearrange the class schedules like I asked?” questioned Alpha Stanislav. 

I was confused when the Alpha asked for a confirmation request about a school issue. Alpha doesn’t deal with school stuff; that is strictly the Beta’s job as high school principal. 

“Yes, Alpha. It was easier to move around the boy’s schedule as to not alert Lovren. The only class I do not have one of the boys in would be her choir class,” confirms Beta Christopher. 

I look between the two and ask, “What boys? Why are we not alerting Lovren?”

“I had asked Chris to move the class schedules for the young council and Lovren around so that she was with at least one of the boys during the day,” answered Alpha Stanislav.

“Mikhail said that Lovren didn’t respond to his aura, dismissed his council, was afraid to talk to them, and walked through the quad unnoticed,” he continued. “What bothered him the most is she seemed to be mad when he noticed her and Bora was ’going nuts’ pushing him to find out who she is.”

The three of us share glances, the room heavy with possibilities. Each of us knows the significance when an Alpha’s wolf’s instincts start kicking in like this. Lovren is special, somehow, and I don’t think it has to do with her lock-picking skills. 

“I know we already have the guard on watch for when she hikes and is in the library but should we tail her outside of that?” I ask while making a potential change in the rotations to accommodate. 

Shaking his head, Alpha Stanislav says, “I don’t want to scare the poor girl. She has enough people watching her as it is. Healer Bet mentioned Lovren being special and didn’t seem to be concerned.”

“Didn’t she say she was healing already when she came in for the claw marks?” Getting nods of confirmation from both of us, Christopher says, “Do you think Lovren is part of Healer Bet’s prophecy? It’s been ten years and you found her by following the crime reports that started coming.”

Alpha Stanislav stands to look out at the bustling school below. The weight of the prophecy clearly took a toll on his thoughts. “Jon, have your meeting with the young council, bring the brothers, and your family.”

“You can have the meeting at the pack house in my main office there. I want this to be as secure as possible,” he says, turning to me. “I will only allow this to happen if they agree to Alpha command not to share it with anyone outside the meeting.”

“Done,” I say with conviction. Finally, they can know and maybe help us find answers quickly.

“Not to bully myself into plans but,” Beta Christopher starts, waiting til he has our attention before continuing. “I think we should bring in Luna Ekaterina, Healer Bet, and Suzanna. This will permit more people to observe and additional people to discuss between.”

“Agreed. My wife already knows, but bringing Healer Bet and your wife would be good,” agreed Alpha Stanislav. “Is your wife still teaching the choir class? That's why you didn’t put any of the boys in there?”

“Yes she is and she says Lovren seems to be relaxed in the class overall. But I didn’t put the boys in there because she already has Erik with her in that class,” Beta Chris says with pride when he speaks of his wife. 

“Erik is very protective of her already. I think giving him this additional information will be helpful,” I comment absentmindedly.

“Oh, I almost forgot, and I am pretty sure you haven’t seen Mitchell, but he named Erik his second,” Alpha informs him.

I smirk, “I am not surprised with his scores, heck, he gives Mitchell a run for his money. I will change up his training then as well. Have him join the boys for theirs or his brothers. He will have to stop coasting around like he has been.”

Standing, Beta Christopher looks at his watch. “Sorry to make this short, but I do have a meeting to attend for the festivities next week. I will implement the changes, and just let me know when the meeting will be.”

“Very well, you are dismissed Beta Christopher. Thank you for attending on such short notice,” Apha Stanislav smiles, patting Beta Christopher on the shoulder before watching him walk out. 

I wave and turn my attention back to the Alpha. " I think we should tell them sooner rather than later,” I say.

“We can have it tomorrow. You know Katya will want time to make dinner for everyone. Let’s shoot for 6 pm and put your second on Lovren while we are in the meeting,” orders the Alpha. “I will let them know.”

Katya, Christopher, Rachel, Mikhail, Mitchell, Aliaksandr, Selena, Andrei, Erik, and Healer Bet, tomorrow at 6 pm, we will have dinner at the pack house and a meeting in my private office. We have a delicate matter to discuss.

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TATTOOS- AN SJM REVELATION

I was scrolling through Instagram and getting into my feels, and I was singing, and I realized something.

SJM is a genius. A literal genius.

We know SJM does the mate trope and we love it, we live for it, we breath for it and I started thinking about the connections between the books so far and one of the main things she does in the ACOTAR universe (this is only about the acotar universe, not TOG or CC) is that she gives them tattoos when they make a deal.

So, my mind was like: Okay, tattoos are nice. It's pretty because there is no way you can forget that. And then I started thinking about those who made a promise together, and one of the first characters I thought about were Rhys and Feyre.

They made a deal under the mountain and the deal was in their skin.

Then Cassian and Nesta made a deal and the deal was in their skin.

So am I crazy for suggesting that Azriel is going to make a deal with Gwyn and it's going to be etched into their skin?

This seems like something SJM would honestly do and then I started thinking about why she would do this and then I realize that both couples (Feysand and Nessian) made the deal before they accepted the bond, so what if it's a way for SJM to show how they are bound together?

We know they are bound together by the bond but what if before they accept the bond, SJM wants them to be bound by something else so they can spend time together and fall in love without the bond? Because Feyre was already down bad for Rhys when she accepted the bond and it started with the tattoo, and then Nesta fell for Cassian without knowing about the bond and it happened because of the tattoo; so what if in the Gwynriel book we get Azriel and Gwyn making a deal and falling in love without knowing about the mating bond?

And this would be way more romantic because Azriel has been fixated on finding his mate for 500+ years, and the idea of falling in love with Gwyn without the bond is unique.

Am I crazy for suggesting this?

Fateful Beginnings

XXIX. “uncanny valley”

parts: previous / next

plot: you and Bruce dance around the horrors of the weekend, desperate to make things right—or, at least, better.

pairing: battinson!bruce wayne x fem!reader

cw: 18+, angst, mental health issues, descriptions of violence, descriptions of injury, grief, anxiety

words: 6.1k

prev. chapter summary (XXVIII): You go to Wayne Tower on Saturday night to talk to Alfred about ways to get Bruce help. Alfred is hopeless. Bruce intercepts, bitter at your intrusiveness, and storms off. You call Dr. Crane, who tells you to refrain from following him for fear of escalating the argument. On your walk home, you run into a panicked, horrified Bruce in an abandoned alley near his house. He does not recognize you, and after calling Alfred for him to be picked up, Bruce begs Alfred not to tell his parents about him being out so late. After a brief heartfelt (and teary) conversation with Alfred, where he expressed thanks and reassured you were not making things worse (as you thought, and still think), you went home. The next day, Bruce has no recollection of the night before, brought up to speed by Alfred. At Alfred’s urging, Bruce visits your apartment on Sunday, begging you to see his side. The argument becomes heated, and, convinced by Dr. Crane’s horrifying prognosis for Bruce and his own erratic, dangerous behavior, you do a last hail-mary to get him help: you lie about being the person who saw Bruce jump, expressing how terrified you were at thinking you’d watched him die. This immediately triggers Bruce to his childhood, and he does a hard reset on his denial, horrified he’s repeating the cycle, reassuring you he will accept help.

Outside of receiving some calls, you hadn't checked your phone since Thursday night. Texts, socials, it had all been abandoned trying to remove the noose snaking Bruce's neck. After the phone call with Alfred you were able to relax into bed and pull out your phone—immediately smacked by a bazillion texts from Mar, a few from your parents, and some mentions on Scypher. You clicked on Mar's texts first.

Thursday, 11:50pm: OMGGG just now seeing thissss i got so lit tonight. sorry!! idk if i can make it to help you move. def can't drive in the morning tho!!! ttys!!!

Friday, 1:20am: ok lolz i went to a second club 2nite and yahhh i don't think i can make it 2morrowww

Friday, 12:30pm: if ur still in town i could help, i just got a massive headache hahaha have you left yet

Friday, 1:22pm: ur prob on the road byeee

Friday, 1:30pm: wait ur still in Gotham??

Today, 12:58pm: BITCH!!!!!!!!!!!! you didn't tell me you did the interview with him!! like actually!!!!!!! okayyyy too famous to respond to me I see? i'll make sure to visit to get your autograph lol.

Today, 2:15pm: bro i got so many more friend requests already today???? some are Bruce Wayne fan accounts. wtf!!!??? this is like blowing up

Today, 6:15pm: MISSED CALL FROM MAR.

Today, 6:16pm: MISSED CALL FROM MAR.

Today, 6:18pm: LOOK !!!!

She'd attached a Buzzfeed article titled: Bruce Wayne's First Interview Came Out Today, and Our Jaws (and Clothes) are on the Floor

You couldn't read any further though, seeing as you had a handful of texts from your parents to sort through.

Friday, 1:45pm: Hey hunny! Your mother and I are home from the second shot. She told me to text you 'I am fine'. We will call you this evening after I finish up the deck.

Friday, 6:37pm: MISSED CALL FROM DAD.

Friday, 6:40pm: Deck done. When you visit next I'll show you. Walter likes it. Love you

Today, 3:13pm: MISSED CALL FROM MOM.

Today, 3:20pm: Hi kiddo. Wow! Congratulations on the article! Debbie showed it to us when she visited earlier. I thought you said you were done with that guy. Love you sweety!

You responded to your dad about your mom, and your mom about the article. You refused to comment on her mention of Bruce, wanting to purge your mind as much as you were able to after the weekend you'd had. You resigned to calling her first thing in the morning, miserable over forgetting about her second shot. After responding to Mar to update her on staying (and to express faux excitement about the article's release), you stayed up a few more minutes to see if your parents might still be awake and responsive. Sleep.

You woke up late that day, around two in the afternoon; the only reason you hadn't slept even longer was a phone call from Dr. Vry startling you awake. "Y/N! Have you seen your article? I can't believe it. Over a hundred applications just TODAY to the journalism program!"

You fought your way through the conversation, the gears in your head finally harnessing enough energy to start worrying again. The call ended quickly, as she 'had a lot of applications to get through', and you called your mom without a second glance at your phone notifications.

"Hey sweetie. I saw your text last night, but I couldn't respond. Walter was finally curled up in my lap, you know how sensitive he is." She sounded fine, neither ecstatic nor miserable. Her energy picked up when she started talking about your article. "Your dad was looking into that Wayne guy, and ran across that article of yours. He didn't know it was you that wrote it until Debbie brought it over!"

You'd padded out to your kitchen to make some toast with the butt of the bread. "Since when is dad researching things about Gotham?"

"He's been very intrigued ever since graduation. He—"

Your dad sounded off in the background. "Hun? Hey! I saw that article of yours! His first interview ever. That's a big family, you know. The Waynes. It's a big deal sweetie!"

He continued without leaving space for you to change the topic. "You know about his parents, right? God, poor kid. Seems to have recovered from it well enough."

You stifled a laugh at him delivering the most famous lore of Gotham city like it was breaking news. "Yeah, I know about his parents."

"You know, I knew I sensed something between you two. When's he coming to visit?" You heard a meow in the background, and you could only imagine your dad was munching on some sandwich he desperately wanted.

"Dad,"

"People don't give their first interviews to just anyone. Must've really impressed him."

"He's never coming over, dad."

"You don't have to be embarrassed honey. He seems like a stand-up guy! Next visit, bring him."

"It sounds like you want to meet him." You rubbed your temples, having temporarily abandoned your peanut butter spreading. You didn't know if you were right, but you could've sworn you heard him shaking his head. Walter meowed again. He definitely had some sort of food in his hand.

"What kind of dad would I be if I weren't excited to meet my daughter's boyfriend?"

The juxtaposition of the past few days to his chipper, nonchalant demeanor was stark, reducing you to a teary mess. No, you wanted to snap at him. I actually visited him in a psych ward. Had to stop his future from becoming a funeral.

"Hey, whoa now..." Your mom spoke in a hushed, frustrated tone in the background. "I'm sorry sweetie. I get it. I won't talk about him anymore."

You continued to cry, unable to get any words out. It was like you were finally able to feel the weight of what had been placed on you, feel the piercing stab of the fear it instilled. Your sobs were so pathetic and deep that your mom kept asking if you could breathe. It took much longer than you were comfortable with to even begin steadying, and when you did you knew it wouldn't last. You told them you had to get back to work, and that you'd see them in two weeks.

Vanity Fair. Vogue. People. Cosmopolitan. Us Weekly. Elle. Glamour. Seventeen. Marie Claire. Your eyes had fuzzed over as anxiety nestled into your gut. So this had been... this had been huge. 600 followers had turned into 13,000, and that was just on Scypher. Instagram had 300, now 6,500. So many mentions, so many comments, you started to panic even more. You tossed the phone across the bed and wrapped your arms around your body, rocking slowly back and forth, squeezing your arms so hard they began to ache. Flashbacks to Saturday night pulsed between your eardrums, projected on the back wall of your mind. You'd never seen someone so out of their element before. The image of him in the fetal position on the ground. The screaming. The nearly incomprehensible rattle in his voice. The stitches that bulged, the skin sloughed off his fingers. The blood. The sweat. The panic. Dread. Fear. Hysteria.

Your hands shook just the same as they fought to text Alfred. Your fingers garbled the message, but you couldn't handle another second without knowing if he was alive or dead. What if he'd taken the whole fucking bottle? What if he was on the floor of his bedroom, the last dregs of his functioning body procuring foamy spit out of his mouth for him to choke on? What if he flung himself off another building? His house was so fucking tall. So empty. So huge. So many places he wouldn't be seen, he wouldn't be found, so many places someone could hide if they needed, or wanted. What if he was strung up by his neck on a ceiling bar?

You shrieked in pain as waves of fear ravaged you. If it were real water you'd be swept under, and you wouldn't even fight it. The water would take away all your troubles, your worries, your fears. But he couldn't know that. They couldn't know what this was doing to you.

You set the phone down.

If he knew, he'd feel guilty. He couldn't feel guilty. Guilt would hurt him more. Guilt could push him over the edge.

Instead, you dialed Dr. Crane. He answered on the second ring, always so quick. "Y/N. I was about to call you. Before we get into it, why did you call?"

Anxiety lurched up into your chest, eager to overwhelm and incapacitate. "Get into what?"

Dr. Crane laughed, a discordant sound that chilled you. "To thank you. Whatever you did, it was successful. This is strictly confidential, but he is accepting treatment."

So he's alive? "I wanted to talk to you about that." You swallowed hard, yanking at a loose thread in your comforter. "I uh, he wasn't going to get help until I, until I lied."

"About what?" Dr. Crane's composure was always strictly maintained, and this time was no different. He never gave away his feelings. "I had to tell him I was the witness. I said I saw him jump."

"Oh."

That was quite possibly the worst thing he could've said.

"Well, that changes things."

"What things?"

"For one, that's a secret you must keep. Glad you clued me in." You heard a rustling of papers, a hushing of his tone. "Usually that would be unacceptable, but if we're both being honest," His candor was unsettling. "I have yet to see someone as deeply in denial as him accept treatment. I went to sleep fully anticipating waking to news of his passing." His tone was suddenly lighter, almost singsongy. "I can't say I'm disappointed in you."

You had no concept of how to respond to that. Guilt ulcerated your stomach and strangled your chest, but at least Bruce was breathing. After a silence that was too long, long enough you were surprised he hadn't yet hung up, you spoke. "Are we, are you, sure?" Words were having trouble finding you. "About the lying? I didn't see it, and what if the real witness,”

"There is nothing to be concerned about regarding the witness. Mr. Wayne has begun treatment, and will soon be stable. Incredible work."

"I—"

"You saved Bruce Wayne’s life, Y/N. It's only a shame it's a badge you can’t share." You could hear the smile in his tone, but you weren't happy. The reassurance you’d been seeking was far from assuring, leaving you situated in an uncanny valley of suspicion. How could he be so joyful? Why wasn't he drilling you about going to such lengths? Had it… had it really been that fucking hopeless? Anger boiled in you at the prospect of Dr. Crane knowingly sending you on a suicide mission. Before you burnt the bridge, you thanked him for the update and hung up. It took everything in you not to throw the phone against the wall.

The shower was scalding. You barely felt it. He must have thought he wouldn't make it. He seemed so fucking resolved to Bruce's death. Fully anticipating waking up to news of his passing? But there was 'nothing he could do'? Not a word of tangible advice besides 'don't go after him'. If I listened to him, who knows who would have found him out there! Would he have attempted again? You also wrestled with the uncomfortable reality that Dr. Crane had been correct; you had played a vital role in him accepting treatment. Had Dr. Crane psychoanalyzed you, deemed you the sort of person to lie if needed? Someone he could push to do things outside of personal liability? A sort of reverse hitman?

As you toweled off, your anxious mind continued its rumination. So he took meds. But did he take just one? Alfred will watch him, right? Hold onto his meds, only give him them as needed? Is he employing a system, making sure he checks under Bruce's tongue, locks the bathrooms, listens for retching, making sure the medication is accurately and genuinely consumed, as prescribed? You needed a break, but you couldn't find one. Sitting on the edge of your bed you knew you wouldn't be able to rest until you knew he was alive right now. And the next day. And the next day. And the next. A boulder jammed down your shoulders knowing you wouldn't be satisfied unless he personally slept on your couch so you could monitor him like a newborn. His attempt and general discontent were affecting you far more than you'd initially internalized.

Bruce sat in Alfred's study by the fireplace, staring out the window towards the grounds. Over breakfast with Alfred he took the first dose of the medication, and only a few hours later he swore he could feel the effects. He'd done some quick googling on olanzapine, and it appeared he was having a placebo effect. At minimum he'd feel effects in a few days, more likely after a week or two. He had to stop researching after that, too freaked out about having to be on antipsychotics, too much still in disbelief about how he'd done something so drastic yet had no memory of it. Alfred convinced him to stay 'home' from Batman for the rest of the week, which was an unusually easy feat considering how he hadn't taken a voluntary night off since beginning the project years ago. It broke him how upset you'd been, and he knew he wouldn't be able to see Alfred cry again. That was unbearable.

He didn't have much to do; he quickly realized he had been living only for the night. There really wasn't anything to do in the tower; no games (outside of a dusty chess board in Alfred's study), one old television (also in Alfred's study, off to an adjacent corner), no gym (he overextended himself enough as Batman), and the house was generally kempt from Dory's attentive cleaning in a house that didn't need more than dusting anyway.

Alfred told him to skip the meeting this week; Bruce initially hadn’t cared much either way, but realized that wasn't an option after misery frayed his nerves with just half a day of sitting around. In order to go in public, he needed to not be scarred and scabbed to hell; he wanted to walk the grounds, but worried about doing it in the daytime in the state he was in. Your article’s release had also prompted a patch of reporters to hang around his house, increasing his surveillance. Give an inch, they’ll take a mile. He and Alfred briefly discussed the contingency plan they kept at the ready: staged police photos of a nasty car crash on the edge of the grounds, but he couldn't share them yet—he wanted to leave you as much time as possible to soak up the success of the interview. You deserved that much, you deserved more after what he'd put you through. At least once an hour he thought about calling you, and he very nearly did a few times. He worried about you. Were you safe? Did you need anything?

On some level, he theorized focusing so much on you was a coping mechanism to escape his failing mental capacity. The more he focused on you, the less real estate his panic had. Last night had been miserable. He'd stayed awake staring at the ceiling, his mind swirling with shock and fear. He’d wondered if this is what his mom had endured, but he didn’t have the mental fortitude yet to go digging through Arkham Asylum records. He didn’t know if he ever would again, so he simply sat. Watched the clouds move along the skyline. Watched the shrubs sway in the backyard. Followed the occasional crow floating past the windows.

As soon as darkness fell he couldn't contain himself any longer. The nagging feeling of someone he traumatized being alone in it was too much. He grabbed a hoodie and walked to the elevator, sure he could make a free escape through the old subway route. His hand hesitated before pressing the button. What if you didn't want him to visit? What if it was too stressful? He couldn't keep coming over unannounced, it was weird. Not normal. Alfred had heard the metal rustling and walked into the kitchen. His brow furrowed. "I thought you were taking a break from him?"

"I am." He stared at the ground, lost in thought. "Would you call her?"

"Miss Y/N?" Alfred's voice was soft, concerned. "Sure, why?"

Bruce had conveniently kept to himself that you'd been the one to watch him jump. That you were the witness, that you'd called 911. "I want to give her an update."

Alfred pulled out his phone and Bruce walked closer, bridging the gap between them. "Ask if I could talk to her." He didn't blink until you picked up, hiding a wince at how you'd done so before the end of the first ring. You were scared. Desperate.

"Miss Y/N, I hope this isn't a bad time." Alfred paused with the phone to his ear, his expression faltering before he let out a small chuckle. It was hollow. "No, he's alright. He wanted to see if he could speak to you now."

He handed the phone to Bruce, who quickly scurried up the stairs and into his room. He only put the phone to his ear once the door was closed behind him. "Y/N?"

"Bruce." It was so nice to hear your voice when it wasn't panicked. You sounded a bit tired, breathy, but miles better than yesterday. A sigh of relief heaved out of him, to which you had a reflexive response. "Are you okay?" Your voice rose, both in volume and octave.

"Yes. Are you okay?"

"I really don't think it matters,"

He bit back a part of him that wanted to say you were the only thing that mattered. He'd broken you. "Are you?"

You sighed. "Yes. Did you uh,"

"I got the meds."

"Good. Did you take them? Or, one, or, whatever the dose,"

"Yeah." He could hear how clouded your mind was, and it was excruciating being so limited to the phone. He remembered the first week after the murder. His mind had been a hazy minefield, everything running on autopilot. The tears, his limbs, his voice, nothing had been a conscious decision for weeks. Sure, he hadn't died, but you'd thought he had. If… his parents had survived, he figured he would've been in a similar state regardless. He wanted to help you, but he didn't know how.

"How long does it take the medication to work?"

"A few days. Maybe a few weeks." After his parents died, everyone brought him food. Random strangers had brought flowers, and food, and even stuffed toys for him to cuddle with. He'd only kept one, a stuffed dinosaur, now tucked into the back of his linen closet. Alfred checked on him constantly. No longer did he have to do his chores; Dory and Alfred picked up the slack. No longer did he have to deal with hearing his mom demand he eat his veggies and sides before getting another helping of soup, he only had soup. And juice, and soda, and warm blankets fresh out of the dryer. He remembered the warmth. Of the blanket, the soup. Those, paired with the scraggly dino in his arms, were the only things that made a decimal of impact on his devastation. "Do you need anything?"

"No. Do you?"

"Do you want anything?"

"I'm good. What about you?"

He didn't believe it. You were trying to spare him, just like you had by making yourself anonymous. Would it be wrong of him to come over? This late in the evening... probably. But he remembered the nights were the worst part. Alone in the empty darkness. Less cars, less lights, even the reruns on tv were stale at that time. It left no room for distraction. And honestly, he worried if he didn't distract you from your pain, he'd be gridlocked by his.

"Can I stop by?"

Onion, celery, carrots, butter, flour, curry powder, chicken broth, an apple, rice, chicken breast, thyme, and heavy cream. He didn't know how to make much, and Alfred didn't keep much variety around, but you hadn't balked at mulligatawny the first night you'd stayed here, and it was one of the few things he knew how to make without a recipe. It was also one of the few things the old man always kept fresh and stocked, especially now that Bruce was in recovery mode. Most importantly, it was warm. It was only nine, he could get this done before ten, and be gone before midnight. Just in time for you to get tired and go to sleep, without hours spent tossing and turning alone in bed. It was the least he could do for you.

He'd never felt more ridiculous than he did when he opened your door. The backpack was heavy and a reminder that he hadn't asked if he could cook, but assumed he would waltz into your kitchen and work some magic. You invited him in and he went straight to the island, setting down his pack and taking out the supplies. Your face scrunched with confusion. "What are you doing?"

He kept taking out food while he thought of how to phrase it. It was like his mind was slowed down, your apartment a pool of tv static. "I wanted to cook." Pause. "For you." Another pause, and he took out the apple. "It's warm." Fuck, could he have explained it any worse?

He paused and you watched him slowly move to meet your eyes. "Can I?" His hand was hovering above one of the drawers, ready to get to work. "Sure." You didn't understand why he couldn't cook at his house, but you couldn’t complain; still coming down from the nauseating blend of relief and guilt that gnawed at you when you finally saw him in the flesh. Like being attacked by a wave on a hot day; soothing, but bitterly cold at the same time.

You had reassembled the chairs today, and the table. You'd anticipated calling Mar later tonight if she weren’t already at a club, offering to order some takeout and have a movie night. When thinking up a distraction, you certainly hadn't anticipated Chef Bruce appearing with fixings for a mystery meal. Did billionaires even know how to cook? Did billionaire Bruce Wayne ever have to fend for himself in the kitchen? A brief image of him staring confusedly at a box of cereal made your mouth twitch into a grin.

Good. Your humor was still there, thank god. With his back turned to you, facing the burner, you could finally, finally, finally, finally unclench your jaw and drop your shoulders. He was here. It was weird, and uncomfortable, but undeniable. He was here, not hanging from a rafter or god knows where doing god knows what in the city. He was putting butter in a pan, and grabbing a wooden spoon. He was alive.

But... this was still out of character, which raised an orange flag. You waited for him to reach an impasse before speaking, tapping his fingers on the countertop while he watched the rice cook. An apple sat cubed to the left, the chicken sizzling on the back burner. "How are you? Really?"

Bruce needed to toe the line. Too honest and it would shift the focus to him, further distressing you; too dishonest and you'd dismiss it before he finished speaking. His body didn't just ache, it screamed at him. Every step, even every time he spoke, felt like torture. He'd teared up at multiple points between the lobby and your unit. His spirit was entirely crushed, shattered into irredeemable smithereens. He hung his head and let all the air out of his lungs, letting his weight fall into his wrists as he leaned over the stove. "Not great."

It should've pained you to hear that, instead it felt like wind in your sails. He was being honest. You could work with that. Honesty didn't need to be interrogated or sleuthed upon. "How can I help?"

He wanted to say you've done enough and don't want your pity, but it felt too real. You didn't need that tonight, not so close to the event. "Taste the soup and tell me if it needs anything." He prayed you wouldn’t keep asking.

"How would I know?"

"I want it to suit your taste."

"I don't know what it's supposed to taste like." You were hyperaware he hadn't answered you, not in the way you wanted. Maybe it was too close for comfort right now. Maybe all you needed to do was focus on him being here, and ask questions later.

"Pepper, curry flavor. Creamy." He stirred something fragrant on the stovetop.

"What's the apple doing?"

"It's necessary." It felt good talking about something else with you. Something normal. Not Batman, not his legacy, not the attempt. Still, all of it clouded and constricted the conversation, a constant tension you both wittingly ignored. "Smooths the spice."

I barely tasted it that night. Too scary being trapped in the house of one of the most powerful men in the world. You watched as he stirred, chopped, and fluffed. You were brought back home with your parents, watching them make dinner while you sat at the dining table and talked at them. He glanced around and looked at the can of heavy cream. In an instant you were up and grabbing a can opener, desperate to do your part. He instructed you to pour it into the pan, and for a half second he was just another guy; an acquaintance, someone passing through; someone regular, unassuming.

After a few more minutes of sitting around, you grabbed some bowls and spoons. After a quick taste he required you take ("Need to know if I missed something"), he ladled the bowls full, and you both walked slowly, carefully over to the table to set down the steaming soup. Bruce dug in without waiting, while you blowed on a single spoonful until every bit of steam hesitated to rise from it.

He watched you apprehensively. Your eyes widened a bit, and he could see your jaw moving like you were savoring it. "How is it?" It tasted fairly similar to how Alfred made it, which was fairly similar to how his mom had made it. At the very least he hadn't royally fucked up. Who knows, maybe olanzapine changes tastebuds.

You nodded, blowing on another bite. "Mulling it over."

God, that was so droll... it tugged a whispering grin to his lips, his bite slipping back into the bowl at the gentle movement of his dry chuckle.

He was laughing. Not really. Kind of. Weird, but yay! "I've never tasted anything like it. It's good."

"Don't have to placate me."

"It's peppery. Curry. Creamy."

He rolled his eyes and tossed another spoonful into his mouth. "Creative. What's the apple for?"

The tension never left, though you both did your best to selfishly soothe it through dry humor. The most either of you did was grin, breathe a little extra air through your nose. When he wasn't looking your eyes wandered to his purple and green bruises, and the complementary crusting scabs along his neck and hands. You wondered if he was suicidal right now, but wasn't saying anything. When you weren't looking, he studied your body language, hoping it would betray you. Were you scared right now? Did you think this was the weirdest thing ever, like he did? Did you think this was creepy? Was it creepy? Was it helping? Was he helping you?

You both finished and walked your bowls to the sink. He started rinsing them and reached for the dish soap, and you let him for a little. After he pat dry the first bowl, you couldn't sit with this worry on your chest any longer. The food had been warm and energizing, the mood made less intimidating with the joking, and all of it together held your hand as you broached the topic. It made you sick how concerned he was about your wellbeing; yes, he scared you, images of his frenzied, panicked face waking you up in the dead of night, but you hadn't watched him nearly die like he thought. His worry felt like rain on a hundred degree day: unsettling and unwelcome. You inhaled fully, hoping enough oxygen would get to some brave neurons and force the words past your teeth. They caught in your chest and by then he'd finished the second bowl; anxiety palpated your heart, bullying it into silence. You overrode it. "Bruce."

At once he abandoned the silverware and turned toward you. His analytical gaze peppered your face and the fingers that annihilated your cuticles. The stench of something burning singed your nostrils, your eyes tracking the source to the hem of his sweatshirt draped over the hot stove, smoking as small flames burnt through the cotton. Perhaps waiting to be seen, it erupted into a blazing ball of flame. You yelped and jumped toward the sink, grabbing the adjustable faucet and spraying him down. The flames went out, he turned off the burner, and you looked around for some magazines or papers to fan away the tendrils of smoke wafting toward the fire alarm.

"Sorry. I wasn't thinking."

You glanced back and saw Bruce sopping wet, his hair having gotten in the mix too, draped over his eyes; the singed, ripped edges of his shirt that he clutched between his hands. You bit your lip to reign in your laugh. He started hurrying the shirt off his back, and gently shook it out to see if it had juice left in it. That was the kicker, sending you bolting toward your bedroom. You couldn't be laughing at him all the time. Get it together! He's hurting! But the laughs escaped your tight-lipped prison, and soon his shadow was in the doorway. As quickly as you'd laughed, you began to cry. You dropped to your knees at the whiplash; what once was dead, was now making soup in your apartment. Dancing around it wasn't helping, it was exacerbating the pain. He didn't hesitate to walk over, his long legs getting him across the room in only a few strides.

He didn't think you were crying about the fire. He stood helplessly beside you, unable to make a decision on what to do next. Guilt bloomed angry, self-flagellating thoughts, wishing he hadn't ran with his ego and coddled his denial. He placed a light touch to your shoulder and you jumped up. "I'm fine." He didn't say anything, only sat and watched as you struggled to reign in your barrage of tears. Your fingers threatened to go numb, and you attempted to shake the tingles away. "My body just needs to cry and then, then I'm done." You turned away from him and pressed your clammy palms to your cheeks, trying to physically shove the tears back into hiding.

After what seemed like an extended period of sniffling tears, you looked back at him. He was sat on the edge of your bed, his sweatshirt draped over his forearm. You could see more of the deeper wounds on his arms now, which was a viscerally surreal feeling. It was impossible not to be aware of his reputation; it preceded him at every turn, he was correct about that. Something entirely new though was seeing the fallibility so transparently.

Before graduation—and honestly, before seeing him breaking down in the alley—you had practically thought he was immortal. You wouldn't have done such ridiculous, dangerous bullshit as walking through an active crime scene at night if you hadn't internalized his heroism. Until this moment you hadn't realized how much you'd relied on that story; the subconscious reassurance that the Batman provided to Gotham's citizens. The mythical creature unfazed by bullets, incapacitating anyone in its wake. Batman's neutralizing force was so accepted it went unquestioned; now you knew it was because no one truly knew him. You and Alfred were the only people who had. Suddenly, the world felt a lot more intimidating. If you were any less shaken up, you might've laughed at the unmasking of Santa; but even children mourned the loss of magic, and here you were muzzling yourself.

"Can I help?"

You needed to nip this in the bud. It was going to come out however it was going to come out, and you needed to be okay with that. "I, appreciate the effort." It wasn't coming out so easily. Be nice. Be nice. Be nice. "But I want this to stop." I didn't watch you. "You don't want my pity, and I don't want yours." Too harsh, scale back. "The only thing I need is for you to be safe. Alive."

You sounded so much like Alfred that Bruce bit back a snarky retort. Not the time nor the place. Your bed creaked as he stood up. He hated how your words sat in his chest, but there wasn't exactly anything he could do about it. "Okay."

No argument, no fighting. Like you requested something he already vowed to do. He walked past you into the kitchen, and you followed on his heel. You had never been so close to him alone, and never from behind. His back was broad, making his already impressive height even more menacing. Veins bulged under his skin. Swore a tendon twitched in his forearm every time he stepped on his left foot. If he had turned for the door you might have yelped, but he just finished the dishes in silence while you lingered, then sat on the couch. If someone walked in right now, and was one of the few humans who didn't know about Bruce Wayne, they might think this looked normal. It couldn't feel more foreign.

You didn't wait half a second after the sink turned off to fill the space. From your perch on the end of the couch, across the room. "Will you be safe once you leave?"

Like a knife scraping under his fingernails. So scared he wouldn't be alive the next morning. Skittish. "Yes." He wasn't looking back at you, wishing he hadn't already put down the dish towel so he'd have something to wring. "I promise."

What good's a promise if he's six feet under? Your life had become so singular so quickly, and you were anxious for it to get back to its usual painful mediocrity. "Really?"

Ugh. He turned to face you and followed your eyes searching the carpet. He sighed away his animosity, knowing the rage seeping into his chest was directed at himself; it was nothing greater than embellished fear. He knew this, was well acquainted with it. Maybe he did need to go back to therapy. He leaned his hip against the counter and winced, jamming straight into a blackened, split bruise. He grabbed his hoodie from where it was slung across the edge of the counter, grimacing at the effort only when his face was obscured. “Really.” Within seconds he was at the door, his hand on the handle. He noticed your eyes flash in his periphery, and his entire body constricted at the sight. He forced himself to meet your eyes. It was strenuous. He figured he needed to warn you. "Alfred and I have emergency plans for times like these. Whatever you read in the news, it's a cover-up." He popped open the door, hesitating on the departure. The air was thick with emotional exhaust. "I'll see you on Thursday?"

You nodded, relieved he was being more covert with his concern. Sugaring the medicine. "See you on Thursday."

Enough

Hunt Athalar x female reader.

Summary: You and Hunt have been dating for a while now. Despite how much you have grown to love him, you refrain from saying anything in fear that he is still in love with Shahar. You realize that this is far from the truth.

A/N: This is a bit of an alternative universe with the reader in Bryce’s place (love Bryce though, so please no attacking me 😂). There’s references to parts of the first and second book. Haven’t read the third book, so please no spoilers. Other than that, hope anyone reading this enjoys it.

“She’s nothing like Shahar.”

Before you could hear more, you quickly walk away from where Hunt stands before he can see you and walk out of the 33rd Legion.

____________________________________________

Hunt told you about Shahar.

About how much he loved her. How her death impacted him so much that he hadn’t had a serious relationship in centuries.

Though you were happy that he had trusted you enough to share that with you, you couldn’t help but feel as if you’d never compare to her for she was everything that you weren’t. Strong, brave, beautiful. But more importantly, an angel just like him.

You and Hunt met when he was assigned to guard you after some powerful individuals were out to get you in the hopes of using your power to gain information as you were a dream walker. A rare gift in Lunathion. Yet, it somehow existed in your family line. On your mother’s side to be exact. The last known person exemplifying this ability was your grandmother.

Despite Hunt being a bit standoffish initially, you both eventually grew close to one another as he was staying in your apartment until the bad guys were caught. Anyone with eyes could see the connection between the two of you as you did things together that couples would do. From going eating takeout together to a watching movies together.

However, things changed between the two of you when he came back to your house all beaten and bruised after a night of being sent on a mission to take care of some people. After helping him get cleaned up, you brought him to your room and cuddled. This eventually resulted in him falling asleep in your lap as you raked your fingers through his dark shoulder length hair.

It was at that moment you saw a tormented male trying to survive the horrors of his past. From that day on, you two became a couple. Though, it had to stay low profile until the baddies were caught. Once they were, you and Hunt continued to living together.

You had truly believed that everything between the two of you was going well until you heard that sentence.

You had know idea what hurt more, hearing those words come from Hunt’s mouth or the fact that he was telling his friends and colleagues this.

____________________________________________

After dinner, you and Hunt are sitting on the living room couch, watching a movie together. The space between you two is evident.

Since Hunt got home from work, the interactions you’ve had with him brief. Though you try to ignore the words you heard earlier that day, they find way into your mind again.

She’s nothing like Shahar.

You must have been silent for a while because Hunt had turned off the tv and turned, looking straight at you.

“Babe… what’s wrong? You’ve only spoken a few words since I have come home and you’re not cuddling me like usual. Also, we didn’t have lunch together like we usually do every Friday. Is something wrong?”

Instantly, you shake your head.

“Come on (y/n), I know that isn’t true. Please, whatever it is, tell me and we can fix it together.”

Together?

You’d almost fall for his sweet words if you hadn’t heard what he said to Isaiah and Naomi earlier.

“I had gone to your work today to have lunch together when I heard what you said to Isaiah and Naomi.”

The angel’s smile is there only for a few seconds longer as if realizing what you were referring to.

“Baby…what you thought you heard this afternoon, isn’t what you think it is.” He stops to take a breath before continuing. “When you heard me saying that you are nothing like Shahar, I meant it.”

You wince before looking down to hide your tears.

“You are better than Shahar.” The angel pauses before continuing. “Looking back on the time I had with Shahar, I thought I loved her when in actually it was infatuation. From the time you and I have had together, I realized that the the moments I shared with her were ploys for her to gain my affection so that I can play a part in her rebellion all those years ago. Everyone in 33rd can see that.”

Hunt can tell you still look gets onto his knees and hugs you, holding onto your waist.

“I love you so much and I don’t want to taint you. You are literally the epitome of light and goodness while I’m darkness and corruption”, the angel in front of you says tearfully.

You are shocked by those words. He said those three little words that held such impact.

It doesn’t take long for you to take the angel’s chin into your left hand, looking into his dark, tear stained eyes. A contrast from his usual brooding stare.

“The man I love is more than that. An evil man wouldn’t feel guilt or remorse for what he has done. You do. You wipe his tears with your thumbs, kissing where the tear stains for. “Also, you were in a position where you had no choice”, your mind thinking back to the late Sandriel and Micah.

You then get to your knees to be leveled with Hunt, letting your fingers travel through his dark hair as a way to ground him. Though not as long as it used to be, you can’t help touching the remainder of his dark tresses.

Hunt then lets his hands gently touch your cheeks for a few seconds before bringing your face near to his own.

“I’m so lucky to have you as my love and mate.”

“Mate?” you look at him shockingly.

Realizing what he said, Hunt tries to explain.

“Yes, mate. I understand if it’s too soon for you to say but I want you to know that you are my mate… When I’m around you, I feel this need to protect you as well as want to be a better male.”

You smile at him. “I feel it too. Though, I was afraid to say something in fear that it wasn’t reciprocated.”

The two of you then lean into share a passionate kiss, whispering your love and commitment to one another for all eternity.

The Greatest Treasure

Merman Steven Grant x female reader

Summary: On a trip, you come across an amazing treasure that’s worth everything.

A/N: This is my first Steven Grant fanfic. Though this isn’t related to spooky season, I hope you all enjoy it nonetheless.

Though you know you should enjoy the monotony of knowing how and when things are going to happen in life, you can’t help but still yearn for more adventure and excitement. Hence why you decided to do something out of the ordinary and join your friends on a trip to the river to celebrate the end of the summer season despite your reluctance to tag along due to all of them having boyfriends to spend the time with.

Nevertheless, they all insisted that she come along with them to enjoy a little break from the usual routine of work and college. A week's vacation promised to be filled with fun.

Currently, you sit in a lawn chair reading a book under the huge blue canopy that her friends' boyfriends have set up for them. Your attire consists of an olive green two piece bathing suit with an unbuttoned white cover over you with your hair in a ponytail. While this is an outfit you normally wouldn’t wear out in public due to your body insecurities, you wanted to wear something that made you feel comfortable and confident in your own skin.

As you hear your friends giggling and playing in the water with their boyfriends, you can’t help but smile. Seeing your friends in happy relationships made you happy. Perhaps you will be lucky enough to have a man that loves you the way their boyfriends do.

——————————————————————

After a while of reading, you close your book and decides to head into the water to cool yourself off from the heat. Taking off your white cover, you are left in your bathing suit as you begin to walk towards the water. You continue to walk toward the water until it hits your midsection. You notice your friends and their boyfriends on floaties in the deeper end of the water as they can all see and ensure the other’s safety.

“You aren’t joining them in the deep end?”, a gentle but manly voice behind you asks.

You turn around and are met with a muscular chest in her face. You look up and are met with a beautiful looking man. He has curly dark hair, chocolate brown eyes, and has olive skin. The attire he wears is that of sky blue swimming trunks, leaving those who were around him to have a good view of his abs.

Noticing how long you have been staring up at the man, you make an attempt to answer him.

“I…I…I can’t swim,” you stutter. “Plus, I don’t want to be the one to be a third wheel… even though that’s kind of what I'm doing right now.”

The chocolate-eyed man smirks at her. “Want some company?”

You are a bit cautious about letting a strange man near. Though you found him handsome, that didn’t mean that his intentions with you were good ones. But that didn’t mean that they could be bad either. Perhaps he really did want to go out of his way to keep you company. For what reason, you had no clue.

Taking in your silence, the mysterious man speaks up. “You don’t have to accept. Just tell me you’re not comfortable with me and I’ll leave you alone. You have my word on that.”

You shake your head. “I could use the company if your offer still stands. My name is (y/n).”

“(Y/n)”, the handsome man tests out her name on his tongue. “It’s nice to meet you. My name is Steven.” The handsome man then puts his hand out for her to shake.

“Steven.” You smile. “I like your name. Are you here on vacation too”?

Steven smiles. “You could say that. Would you like to sit on that rock over there and talk?”

You nod eagerly as you and Steven make way to the rock and sit atop of it. For the next few hours, the two of you get to know each other until your friends tell you it’s time for dinner. Before you can invite Steven to dinner, you turn around to find the rock he was sitting on completely empty. Looking around, you find no sign of the brown-eyed man and almost believe your mind had made him up until your friends ask about him.

“He’s just a nice guy that I met today”, you blushed profusely.

Your friends playfully roll their eyes as they ask more about Steven. Once they are content with your answers, they go back to talking about their day as you think about Steven.

Despite his reserved nature, Steven was kind and a good listener. Also very into history as he told you about the history and legends regarding the river. All so interesting and entertaining that you hoped that today would not be the last time that you’d see him.

——————————————————————

In the coming days, you and Steven spend time with one another as if you two had known each other all your lives. In fact, he even taught you how to swim.

You can’t explain it but you have never felt comfortable being yourself the way you had been with Steven. Too bad this relationship of yours will have to end in two days.

A bit earlier than their usual time, Steven had asked you to come at the crack of dawn as he had something important to tell you. Even if you somehow got his number, the odds of you two keeping in touch seem slim. Still, you decided to keep your chin up and make the most of your time together as you make way to meet Steven at your usual spot.

Getting closer to the rock, you see Steven and call out his name. When he turns to face you, you are shocked by what you see. Instead of seeing two legs on Steven like you had for the last few days, you now see that in place of his two legs is one long emerald green tail.

“Steven… you’re a..a mermaid?” you ask.

“A merman actually,” Steven jokes as he scratches the back of his head.

You sit next to him but can’t contain yout shock. “How long have you been a merman?”

“All my life,” Steven responds.

You touch Steven’s cheek. “Why didn’t you tell me? I know it’s too soon… but I thought that our time together proved how much I care about you.”

For the first time since you two have met Steven, he looks flabbergasted by what she has said. Almost as if what she just said truly hurt him. “Oh (y/n), I wanted to tell you since we first met but I had to be extra sure.”

You look at the merman with concern.“Sure about what, Steven?”

“That we are mates,” Steven says matter of factly.

Your eyes go wide eyed.“Mates?”

Steven nods. “Mates,” he emphasizes. “Since the moment I looked upon you, something inside of me was wanting for me to approach you. And when you went out of your way to talk to me, I was a goner. ”

As you take all of this in at once, Steven takes this as a sign of rejection. “If you don’t want me… I completely understand. I…”

Before Steven can further explain, you lean in close to the merman to give his left cheek a kiss.

“I’d love to be your mate, Steven. Even though we’ve only known each other for a few days, I feel this connection with you that I’ve never felt with anyone else. Although, a part of me thought I was just imagining the chemistry between us… I’m glad to see that it wasn’t imaginary.”

At these words, Steven takes her hand into his own. “I’m not sure how we are going to go about this but I just know what we’re meant to be.”

This would be the first of many summers where you and Steven would meet with one another. For you and Steven were mates. Therefore, nothing could separate you both from each other.