We had the city, the state. Close enough to an exact address. And, anyway, once we made it to the city, we’d be able to sniff Zak out. Hopefully wherever he was, my sister would be nearby.
Not just my sister. My twin.
God, it still was crazy thinking about it. Somewhere, a few states away, there was a walking, talking girl with her own life—a girl who looked exactly like me. A girl who wasn’t a shifter, who’d inherited only her magic from her father. Crazy.
“I won’t be able to come to your rescue again, so be careful,” Arthur warned.
I supposed I could’ve said something cheesy along the lines of thanks, Dad, but it would’ve been too weird. Plus, I’d been adamant that he didn’t deserve the title of dad because he’d been away from my mom and I for my whole life. So I settled with nodding, watching as he threw another glare at the alpha on the porch.
Apparently Maze and the others could have all the sex they wanted with me, but Forest was where Arthur drew the line.
Without another word, Arthur walked to his car, driving off, apparently not one for prolonged goodbyes. It was fine. Landon, Dylan, and I would soon be following him, or at least for a while.
“Phew. Talk about awkward…” Maze moved closer to me, turning my face with his hands, forcing me to meet his lips in one last kiss goodbye. The kiss was passionate and head-spinning, and I immediately grew warm in the lower regions of my stomach. When he pulled his mouth off mine, he rested his forehead on me as he whispered, “I’m going to miss you. I love you, Adeline Smithson.”
I hated it when any of my mates used my full name, but now, it felt right. Fitting, almost. So I simply grinned and said, “I love you, too.”
Maze took a step back, raising both his hands in the air like he’d just made some awesome basketball shot across the court and everyone in the nearby vicinity should kneel and worship him. “You hear that? She loves me! She loves me the most!”
“I didn’t say—” I was about to correct him, because I most definitely didn’t say that, but a gentle voice across the street stopped me.
“Going to leave without saying goodbye?”
I turned my head, quickly moving around the car to meet the woman halfway. Caitlin, back to wearing her hippie-inspired, tie-dye clothes. She’d get along well with my mom, probably. I should introduce them the next time Sarah’s in town.
I would’ve hugged my friend, but Caitlin held a swaddled bundle of a baby, so I was forced to hold back.
The baby, Aaron, still made me uncomfortable, but I held in any comments I might’ve had about how pudgy the baby looked and asked, “How are you?” It was then I remembered Caitlin had asked me whether I was going to leave without stopping to tell her goodbye.
Everyone was being so damn dramatic. It wasn’t like I was saying goodbye forever.
“Better. We’re both doing good,” Caitlin said with a smile. “I know you’ve heard it a lot in the last two weeks, but thank you, Addie, for everything you’ve done for us.”
I shook my head. “You’re acting like I’ll never come back.”
“You never know,” Caitlin told me with a shrug. “The world might end tomorrow.”
Letting out a laugh, I said, “Get out of here. Go home, make the guys take care of Aaron while you get some rest.” I smiled as Caitlin laughed and walked away, stopping once she reached the sidewalk. She would see me and my guys off, too.
Landon tapped the top of the car. “Are we ready? Can we get this shit over with? The sooner we go, the sooner we can come back.” His voice took on his familiar asshole tone, but it didn’t bother me anymore. In fact, I kind of liked it, because he was my asshole. My bossy, always-aggravated mate.
Dylan said his goodbyes to his brother before getting in the car, in the backseat. Landon was the driver, and he got in shortly. Which left the front passenger seat to me, but I wasn’t going to complain. I’d rather have the front seat than the back any day.
Moving to open the door, I glanced to Forest and Maze. Maze had sluggishly made his way beside the alpha on the porch. Both watched me heavily, willing me to stay.
God, I wanted to stay, but I couldn’t. I had to find my sister.
“Hurry back to us,” Forest called out.
I paused, one foot in the car, one foot out, and I smiled. I would do my best, because being away from Maze and Forest was going to downright suck. I waved before getting in and buckling my seatbelt.
Landon started the car, and soon enough, Crystal Lake was in the rearview mirror, the houses growing smaller the further away we drove. The vehicle was full of silence, which was a big no-no for road trips of all kinds.
I reached into my jacket’s pocket and pulled out my cell phone. “Well,” I drawled out, glancing to Landon and then Dylan in the back, “who’s ready for some music?” Turned out, they hated anything with a dance beat, but I played the music anyway.
Westcliff School for the Gifted, here we come.
Read on for a bonus novella, detailing the night of Addie’s claiming, along with her firsts with each of the guys! Oh, and unlike most of the story so far, for these scenes we will be head-hopping—meaning, you’re going to get to see the world through the guys’ eyes, too.
The Claiming
Chapter One – Addie
It was strange how things got back to normal so quickly. Also strange in that none of this should be normal to me. I didn’t grow up here, surrounded by this pack or the beauties Crystal Lake held; all of the shifters and human mates in town were like strangers to me—and yet they weren’t. They were my new family, and this was my new home.
Mom had left, though she’d been kind enough to get me set up with a doctor ASAP. I went home, packed up some more stuff, and then brought it all back to Crystal Lake, where I’d be spending my future…
After going and making sure my sister was all right, of course. But one thing at a time. There was no way I was going to leave town before getting down to business with my guys.
And I mean all of it. The claiming, and sex. Hopefully a whole lot of orgasms, too.
Getting set up with birth control and dying my hair purple was enough to focus on so I didn’t totally lose my mind while Maze healed. Couldn’t have a claiming without one of my mates, could I?
Plus, I meant it when I said no pups for me for a while. The last thing I wanted to do was possibly go against Odon, the death priest of death priests, while pregnant. Yeah, somehow I did not think something like that would end up going well.
All that aside, it was finally time. Maze had shifted into his human form yesterday, and he’d been getting better steadily. He still had a scab on his stomach from where Clay had stabbed him, but he could move, could joke, could shift.
I stood in my bedroom, getting ready. It was pointless to get all dolled-up for a claiming, I’ve been told, and yet I still wanted to. The only other time the guys had seen me all pretty was when we had a funeral to attend, when we had to watch twenty-four shifter corpses burn. I figured I’d do my best to shake them of that memory of me, since it wasn’t too long ago.
Felt like years, honestly.
My newest friend, Caitlin, sat on my bed, watching me. She offered to help, but she was not in the same vein of style as me. She was more like my mom: hippie-style, with long thick black hair, more often frizzy and wavy than not. Her new pup, Aaron, was with her mates back at her house. Tonight was all about me, so she was trying to put me in the right mindset.
“Are you excited?” she asked, eyeing me up as I curled my hair a bit. It was now purple, a bright, brilliant violet, and I wondered if my wolf would also be purple now, too.
Before, she’d been a bit pink, so logic would follow, right?
All I did was shrug.
She laughed at me, her thin shoulders shaking. She still had a bit of a baby bump, but that weight lessened with each passing day. Shifters truly were a cut above normal humans, weren’t they? “Oh, come on. It’s okay to admit you’re excited.” Caitlin leaned forwa
rd, staring at me strangely. “Or are you nervous?”
I mean, of course I was excited. I wanted to finally be one with the guys, wanted to unite with them in the most basic, primal way. My body had wanted it for a while, even before Henry had forced me to shift.
But was I hella nervous? Yes, I was so nervous my stomach hurt. Maybe that’s why I was busy dolling myself up—trying to distract myself until night came. I couldn’t see the guys until the claiming ceremony, some kind of stupid Crystal Lake tradition.
These wolves and their traditions…
“Yes,” I finally spoke, setting down the curling iron after unplugging it. “I’m nervous, excited, ready for it to happen.” My lungs let out an explosive sigh. With my shoulders hanging low, I moved to sit beside her, sighing yet again.
Caitlin bumped shoulders with me. “Everything will be fine,” she told me. “Trust me, I’ve been through it. Once you get going, instincts take over. Always trust your inner wolf; she’ll be able to guide you, even while your human self fumbles.” She reached for my hair, tucking a stray strand behind an ear, acting like a loving older sister rather than a newfound friend. “You’ll be fine.”
Funny, that’s nearly word-for-word what my mom had told me, too. If all these shifters were telling me this, it had to mean it was true, right?
Caitlin rubbed my back, cooing over me. “Do you want to eat something?”
I shook my head. “No.” Felt like I’d throw it up the moment I swallowed it down.
We stayed in my room for a while. I did my makeup, though I didn’t think I did as good of a job as my mom did, but that’s because I didn’t normally do much. My green eyes were bright and alive, surrounded by smoky grey eyeshadow and waterproof liner. I had no idea whether or not the makeup would survive the shift, but I figured why not.
I wore my purple jean jacket, along with some jean shorts. My ankle-high leather boots sat on my feet, a pair that slid off easily. A small tank top sat beneath my jacket, something that I could tear off me quickly. The last thing I wanted was to rip through all of my clothes each time I shifted.
I still wasn’t sure how to shift at will; I figured that was something that would come with practice, but I was getting better. When I wanted to turn, I had to really think about it, focus on it and tune out everything else. It seemed like everything with me took a bit more work than it should.
Hmm. Maybe because I wasn’t a full shifter, maybe because I was part witch, too.
Who could say?
Either way, night fell both far too quickly and not fast enough. I could not fight the excitement and anxiety in my stomach when I looked outside and saw the darkening skies. The sun had fallen, the world slowly inching toward a black night, combined with a full moon.
I know. A full freaking moon. Murphy’s Law, right?
A few dozen shifters had gathered around the lake. Not everyone in the town, but quite a few. They would see us change, see us off. It wasn’t like the claiming would take place here in front of everyone—we’d run for a while, through the forests surrounding Crystal Lake, and get our privacy.
Although, I did have to admit, what Forest had said way back when rang true: you lost your modesty when you became a wolf. Being naked was natural.
My mates stood along the shore, talking to each other. The moment I spotted them, I felt Caitlin’s hand on my lower back, and I met her eyes, watching her smile. “Good luck,” she said. “And remember, have fun. Even if you don’t know what to do, your wolf will.” She sauntered off, finding her two mates, one of which held onto a small bundle of a baby.
My heart beat wildly in my chest as I walked to my mates’ side. They each turned to stare, wearing different expressions of lust, hope, and seriousness.
Maze stood beside his twin, a dimpled smile on his face. His short blonde hair was spiked a little on top, his brown eyes glimmering with excitement for what was to come. He’d all but begged me to give him time alone before this, but I had refused, wanting to make sure the pills I’d gone on had kicked in.
No pups for me, right now. When I had sex, I wanted to focus on what mattered. Me, my mates, and pleasure. Nothing else. No worrying about consequences.
Beside Maze, Dylan stood, smiling softly beneath his glasses. His hands were stuck in his jean pockets, his yellow hair a bit longer and shaggier than his brother’s. He radiated a quiet kindness I absolutely adored.
Landon, of course, was almost unreadable, save for the hunger I saw dwelling in his icy blue eyes. His arms were crossed, a frown on his face, though it did lighten somewhat when he saw me. Such a standoffish guy, and yet he could be really sweet sometimes. His hair a lighter auburn, it was cut short a few days ago, so he had that same weird look all guys did for the few days after a haircut.
Or was I the only one who thought guys looked weird immediately after they got their haircut?
The tallest of my mates, and the most muscular and intimidating, stood off to the side, watching me approach with a quiet intensity that was very much typical of the alpha. Forest’s azure stare was a beautiful blue, so deep and inviting anyone who stared too long would get lost in its crystal-clear depths, much like the water in Crystal Lake. A tuft of his black hair hung over his forehead, the sides cut a bit shorter than the top lengths.
All of my mates made my stomach clench in anticipation. Seeing them here, watching them watch me, made it all too real.
This was my claiming. After tonight, things were going to change, and honestly? I couldn’t wait for it. I was excited, and ridiculously nervous.
“Addie,” Forest spoke, breaking the silence of the group. “I think I speak for us all when I say you look beautiful. Are you ready for tonight?”
I drew my gaze along my four mates, feeling my gut harden for a whole host of different reasons. There was no denying the fact that I was ready, that I wanted this more than I’d ever wanted anything in my entire life. Everything had led to this moment, to this night, and I was raring to go, the wolf inside just as anxious about it all.
“Yes,” I finally spoke, feeling my lips curl into a grin.
“Then let’s begin this night of claiming.” Forest moved away from my other mates, speaking louder as he addressed the shifters on the shore, “You’ve come here tonight to witness our newest member’s claiming. Addie, from tonight forward, will be ours. She will run with us, fight with us, live with us.”
A bunch of shouts, yips, and mock howls rose from the shifters standing on the shore—one of them coming from Caitlin, along with an overexaggerated wink.
Forest turned back to me, to us, and he gave me a nod. “It’s time.”
It was time.
Finally.
Chapter Two – Forest
I was the first to reach for my shirt, though the others followed soon after. Addie watched, her cheeks already flushed in the darkness, her bright green eyes flashing metallic. She was just as hungry for us as we were for her, that much was obvious.
Tonight wasn’t my first claiming. I’d chased after Hannah and caught her years ago, making her mine.
But now wasn’t the time to lose myself in memories long passed. Tonight was about Addie, about Maze and Dylan and Landon. And about me. Tonight was about all of us, our union with our mate, the joining of our beasts. After tonight, she would be ours in every single way.
One by one, the clothing restricting my body fell to the rocky shore. I was the first to stand bare, the first to feel the cool night air caress my skin and weave through my bare legs. My muscles ached to run, every single part of me ready for what would come tonight.
Maze, Dylan, and Landon shed their clothes, the unused and unwanted garments laying directly before their feet. Addie watched us all undress, her eyes raking over us in a manner that could almost be called appreciative.
As for us, we barely glanced at each other, too focused on waiting for her to start taking off her clothes. It would not be the first time we’d seen her without them—the night Henry had forcibly turne
d her against her will and against my orders, we’d watched her shift back into her human form…
And I’d had to do one of the most difficult things I’d ever had to do in my life: I had to keep myself from her. I had to keep the others from her. My hands flexed into fists at the memory; it wasn’t what I’d wanted to do at all, not what my body wanted nor what my wolf desired. If things had been different, if we hadn’t been forced to be constantly alert and on watch to defend ourselves against a death priest, I would’ve let it happen that night. I would’ve given in to the urge and taken her, let the others claim her.
Alas, that was not how things went, so here we were.
Tonight we would make up for that horrible turn of events.
My eyes locked on Addie’s as I saw her shoulders dip and that purple jacket tumble off those thin shoulders. The jacket fell to the ground in a heap, exposing her tank top beneath. The next thing she took off was that top, lifting it up and over those shoulders and dropping it in much the same way, exposing her simple black bra.
Never had a bra looked more enticing. I wanted to rip it off her, but I held back.
The next thing she did was bend to take off her boots, slipping off her socks one by one and tucking them into each respective boot. Her slender fingers went toward her shorts, and within another moment, those small jean shorts were sliding down her legs and being kicked to the side.
It would be a lie if I said I was not already excited, if I said the others were not growing aroused at her stripping. A big, fat lie.
Addie locked gazes with Maze and his brother—though Dylan had taken off his glasses, so I wasn’t sure how well he could see—as she reached behind her and unhooked her bra, letting it fall to the ground above her other clothes. Her fingers toyed with the hem of her panties as she glanced to Landon, who was busy licking his lip and already breathing hard.
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