Arise

Three months later

I smiled at the crowd and my eyes scanned the arena, taking it all in. My hands gripped the sides of the podium to release my nerves. I was already a third way through my speech. Just one more paragraph. I just need to bring it home. I brought my hands together, quickly glanced down at my speech before looking back at the graduates before me.

“I might not have met every single one of you, but I am grateful for the many I befriended over the last four years. We have come so far as a class and I know that we will continue to thrive if we work hard enough. I mean, if we don’t, then who else will ads target for the elections.” There were dispersed laughs and I continued, “As this chapter of our lives closes and a new one opens we remember that we write our own futures. Whether it is something that pays well or not, we do it because we love it and have a passion for it. I wish you all the best in the years to come, and always remember: No one can tell you what you can’t do. If you put your mind to it, you can do it. Thank you.” I quickly walked off the stage and to my seat next my friend. She placed an assuring hand on my knee and smiled.

The ceremony ended soon after that and I met with my family near the fountain next to the arena. They congratulated me with glee and showered me with flowers and hugs. I took pictures with my friends and Dylan. My parents took turns getting pictures with me before Dylan stole the camera and failed at attempting to take a selfie.

“Aren’t you supposed to throw your cap in the air at the end?” I smiled and turned around. Zac was holding a bouquet of flowers in his hands and grinned. I quickly masked my disappointed expression and embraced him. I half expected it to be Logan, but he hadn’t talked to me in months.

He handed me the bouquet and I chuckled. “We don’t do that anymore.” He looked down at me and grabbed the cap from my head. Before I could protest, he placed the cap on his own head and wound his arm around my shoulder, holding me tightly to his side.

He looked at my dad who was holding a camera and said, “Smile, Rosie. I’ll make sure to get this one the front cover of The News Scribe tomorrow morning!”

I rolled my eyes and faced the camera and smiled. “If you do that, then the Senator’s daughter will come after me.”

He chuckled and adjusted the cap. “Ah, Rosie, you’ve forgotten. I’m no longer dating people from the government. I’ve been talking to my Dad’s new intern and unlike you, she actually falls for my aimless flirting.”

I scoffed. “You’re an idiot. She works for your dad who works for the government.”

He smirked. “Correct.” He leans down to meet my eyes. “But she’s not related to anyone in the government, now is she?”

I shook my head in disbelief and playfully shoved him. My internship had ended weeks ago, but the Mayor wouldn’t let me officially go until I chose a new intern to take my place. I made sure to put in a good word for someone that Zac would like. Now that Zac wouldn’t see me as often anymore, he would need someone to befriend.

“Alright, break it up you two. Honey, we have a surprise for you back at home,” my mom interjected. She looked at Zac and spoke again, “Zac, you of course are more than welcome to come too. We made a huge lunch.”

He smiled and agreed to come. Leave it to Zac to never give up an offer of free food. Dylan went with my parents to their car and drove home, while I went with Zac. The car ride was filled with laughter and singing loudly to music on the radio. We made a pit stop for ice cream and we both got vanilla-chocolate soft serves.

Zac held his cone in one hand and the wheel with the other. He quickly glanced at me and asked, “Did you get the interview you at the job you wanted?”

Last month I had applied to a judicial law clerk’s office in Val’s pack. It was decision I didn’t have to think twice on. The moment I embarrassed myself in front of Logan I screwed up any chance of there being an us. In his eyes, I had taken advantage of him and potentially ruined what we could’ve had. Since that day, I spent any free time I had searching for jobs near their pack. Val even secretly helped me get the interview. Being friends with the Luna truly had its perks.

“I did. My interview is on Monday.” I nervously tapped my foot, calming the butterflies in my stomach.

We went back to singing and soon enough, we were home. Zac parked his car on the side of the road in front of the house and went around to open the passenger door.

I dramatically put my hand against my chest and fluttered my eyes. “Such a gentleman.” I stared at my heels dreadfully. I had taken them off once I had gotten in the car and didn’t want to face the pain again.

I looked up at Zac and frowned. He turned around and squatted, mumbling, “The things I do for you.”

I smiled and got on his back. He stood up and I wrapped my legs loosely around his torso as he tucked his arms under them. He boosted me up and I put one arm across his shoulder and held my ice cream with the other.

He groaned. “Do not get your ice cream on me. This outfit is designer.”

I rolled my eyes but stopped as I saw an unrecognizable car in the driveway. There was a vehicle I had never seen before. Zac cackled evilly and ran towards the door. I squealed and held him tighter, giggling.

The door was unlocked, and he walked right in, dropped my heels by the stairs and went towards the kitchen following the strong scent of food.

On the way to the kitchen I yelled, “Dad! Whose car is outside?”

“Go to the living room,” he shouted from the kitchen.

I patted Zac’s shoulder and told him to put me down but he refused. I hit his shoulder and said, “Zac, put me down!”

As he entered the living room he said smugly, “Nah, I kind of like the feeling of your legs wrapped around m—” he stopped abruptly and swore before dropping me unceremoniously and I stumbled back.

I grumbled and walked around him. “You, moron! What is wrong with—” My eyes rounded, and my mouth dropped in shock.

I saw Logan sitting on the couch, leaning forward, resting his elbows on his knees with clasped hands. He clenched his jaw and I gulped. His eyes dilated, glowing gold.

“Surprise?” Val said with a nervous chuckle.

Zac and I shared a worried look, but a growl from the other side of the room had me shift my gaze back to Logan. He looked ready to attack someone. I stepped back and felt Zac’s breath over my head.

In just a matter of seconds, I was pushed aside, and Zac was pinned against the wall with Logan’s hand around his neck.

I shrieked. I ran to them and tried to pry his arm off. “Logan, let him go!”

“Who the hell do you think you are?” Logan’s face held vibrant rage and his grip on Zac was getting tighter, knuckles near white. Logan’s face turned animalistic and unrecognizable.

Zac tried to pry his hands off and gasped for air. “I c-can’t breathe. . .”

Logan opened his mouth and snarled. I gasped at the sight. His teeth were elongated and sharp. This was a side of Logan I had never seen before, and if I didn’t do something, then someone was going to get hurt.

I tried to remove his arm, but he was too strong. I resorted to punching but to no avail. “Let him go! My parents are in the kitchen and they could walk in at any moment.”

At that possibility, his gray eyes returned to normal. He closed his eyes and rolled his neck until he was human again. He let go of Zac with a shove. Zac faltered but I caught him and looked for any injuries on him.

I put my hand on his shoulder which received a low growl from Logan. “Are you okay?” He nodded and coughed before waving me off. I turned to Logan and raised my hands in exasperation. “What’s your problem?”

Logan ran his fingers through his hair and tugged it slightly. He met my eyes with a glare and flared nostrils. In a low voice he vehemently asked, “Do you always slum it with him?”

A ringing started in my ear. Anger seeped through my veins and I stepped up to him. “Excuse me?”

“Let’s all just calm down. It was just a misunderstanding,” Val reasoned.

“A misunderstanding?” I sneered and crossed my arms over my chest.

My parents walked in to the room with confusion displayed on their faces. Mom put a hand on her chest and scanned the room before asking, “Why is everyone shouting?”

I gave them a reassuring smile and said, “I was just surprised to see them.”

“Well, the food is out on the dining table. Let’s go.” They shook their heads and mumbled something about not understanding our generation and walked back into the kitchen. Val and Dylan eyed me and Logan before reluctantly following my parents. Logan stayed behind and continued shooting daggers at Zac.

Zac cleared his throat and said, “I should go.” Before I could protest he shook his head. Even I knew it wasn’t a good idea if he stayed even longer.

I nodded, and he hugged me and kissed my forehead. “Congrats, Margarita.” I laughed, and he grinned, sticking his pinky out. I latched my pinky to his and we brought our hands down as he said, “I hope you have a good life.” Tears pooled along my eyes. I embraced him on last time not caring who was watching our last goodbye.

I smiled and watched him walk away before frowning. “You’re an ass, you know that.” I faced Logan and took off my graduation cap and gown.

“My reaction was completely justified. You were all over him.”

I raised arms in disbelief and groaned. “He was giving me a piggyback ride!”

“What, did you all of sudden forget how to walk?”

“You are blowing this way out of proportion.”

“I’m sorry if I don’t appreciate the fact that my mate was wrapped around someone else. Someone, by the way, you told me you had no feelings for.”

The word echoed in my ears. I ground my teeth. “I’m done having this stupid conversation with you.” I turned around to walk away but he grabbed my wrist to stop me. I ripped my arm away from him and stepped back. “Do not touch me!” I abruptly turned around, whipping my hair in his face and confidently walked into the dining room.

Dinner was normal to say the least. My parents, Dylan and Val did most of the talking. Val’s parents and Jordan had also decided to show up, which made dinner much less awkward. I hadn’t really eaten much of it. I swished my food around the plate a couple times before excusing myself from the dinner table and heading to my room upstairs. The stupid argument had ruined my night. The idea of moving to their pack sounded ridiculous now, but I had no other options.

I opened the door to my room and closed it behind me. With a sigh, I grabbed the makeup remover from my dresser and proceeded to wipe off all the makeup. When I went to throw away the wipe, there was a knock on my door and Val entered.

She headed straight to the bay window and sighed. “Wow, I haven’t been in here in so long.” She pressed her head against the window draped the quilt over her body. I sighed and laid down across from her, letting her cover my legs with the blanket. She tilted her head and pouted asking, “You okay?” I dropped my head back and blew out some air.

“Thanks for coming. For real.”

Val put her hand over mine. “I would never miss it. Plus, you’re coming to my wedding so I’m just returning the favor.”

“The wedding is still happening, huh?”

“Ha. You’re hilarious,” she deadpanned. “I’m guessing you knew about the surprise.”

“Logan told me about it the last time he was here.”

“He wanted to come, you know.” She was referring to Logan coming to my graduation.

“Yeah, right. He hates me.”

She laughed. “He doesn’t hate you. You’re his mate.”

I winced. Hearing that word still freaked me out. “He was mad then and he’s mad now.”

“You threw him off guard with the kiss then. And now, he just can’t control himself.”

I arched my eyebrows in confusion.

She sat up straighter and clasped her hands over her lap. “Listen, being werewolves means we are connected to our instincts. Some more than others. Higher ranking wolves have a harder time keeping the animalistic side in control because they are more in tune with their wolves. It’s different with you because your human. Being mated to a werewolf is easy because we understand that instinct; it’s a part of who we are so we expect the instinct.”

My head spun.

“Wolves get antsy in general if they’re away from their mates for a long time. He’s just in a mood because he has been away from you and on top of that. . .”

“Zac happened,” I finished.

“Yup, pretty much.”

I started laughing. This whole situation was absolutely ridiculous.

Val cleared her throat and said, “I’m not saying he’s justified but take it into consideration when you talk to him.”

“I don’t plan on doing that.” It was too embarrassing.

She smirked. “Well you should because he’s coming up.” At that moment, there was a knock at the door and a after a pause, Logan appeared through the opened slit.

“Do you mind if I come in?”

“I wish I had supernatural hearing,” I mumbled. I looked up at Val and gave her a hug.

She patted my back and said, “I’ll see you soon.” She closed the door behind her and Logan leaned against it arms crossed.

He eyed the opened suitcase filled with clothes at the foot of the bed. “Going somewhere?”

Logan was wearing a blue dress shirt and gray slacks. His shirt was tucked into his pants and his sleeves were rolled up. His hair had grown longer and just barely covered his eyes. He looked the same, but the beard was something new, but I wasn’t complaining.

I nodded. With a sigh I moved from the bay window to my bed and landed with a plop. I patted the spot next to me for him to join. He quietly sat down and stared at the floor. I expected myself to feel angry at the sight of him, but I didn’t. All I felt was sadness. Why couldn’t it just be easier with him? There was so much about his world that I had yet to understand, but there was so much I had discovered that made my head spin. Could I do this?

I shook my head and turned to face him. I sat crisscrossed beside him and waited for him to speak. Sitting this close to him allowed me to get a good look at his face. The skin beneath his eyes were dark and sunken in. He didn’t grow his beard on purpose, I realized. My heart fell at the sight. He looked tired. Exhausted.

“I didn’t get to tell you,” he spoke quietly; a contrast to earlier. “You look stunning.”

Butterflies rapidly flew around my stomach and heat flared my cheeks. I didn’t think he noticed my dress. I was wearing the graduation gown over it but had taken it off when I entered my room. Underneath the gown, I wore a beige dress embroidered with lace that dipped in the back.

He frowned when I didn’t respond. “I’m really sorry, Rosetta.”

I looked away abruptly from embarrassment. I couldn’t tell if he was referring to what happened earlier or what happened that night months ago. I tucked my hands under my legs and returned to his gaze.

He continued, “I shouldn’t have said those things. I was just angry, and I took it out on the both of you, especially him. But don’t worry, right after you left I went outside and apologized to him.”

“It’s been three months. You have been avoiding me for three months. And before that, you avoided me for weeks. Is this how it’s going to be with you? Because if it does, then I’m wasting my time.” I tried to get up, but he grabbed my hand.

“Is that what you think?” Logan’s face scrunched up in anger. “Doll, you are my mate.”

I clenched my teeth. “Calling me that doesn’t make this any better,” I said with annoyance.

“Why is it always a game of tug-of-war with you?” He let go of me and tugged at his hair.

I blinked and blinked again in disbelief. “Excuse me?” Pain struck my heart.

He shook his head with regret. “That’s not what I meant.”

“But it’s what you said.” I silently cursed myself for the way my voice broke.

“Sorry, I—” He dropped his head in his hands with a groan.

I took a deep breath and placed my hands over his.

There it was. That instant spark of connection. That feeling of warmth and safety and love. Finally deciding to wave the white flag, I said, “It’s okay.”

“No, it’s not.” He moved his neck side to side, trying to bring himself relief. “I’m just little on edge. I’m not used to this.” He gestured his hands in a circle. “Mating with a human isn’t rare, we have a couple mates like that in the pack. But I just—I don’t know what I’m doing.”

I nodded in understanding. I didn’t know what I was doing either. Val was right: it would be different because I was human.

“I know.” I turned his hand over and ran my thumb back and forth over his palm in a calming manner. I felt the calluses under the pad of my thumb. “Val told me as much.”

In the corner of my eye, I saw Logan sag with relief. His eyes were closed, and I knew his focus was elsewhere. I pulled his hand to my lap and felt his gaze on me, but I refused to meet his eyes.

“I’m sorry about that night. I shouldn’t have kissed you after what I said.”

My mind traveled back to that fateful night from three months ago.

The moment my lips touched his, he pulled away. His face was still until it contorted to anger. I had never seen such anger on his face. He grabbed my shoulders and pushed me aside before getting up from the picnic table and pacing back and forth. He stopped and rested his hands on his hips before speaking. “Why did you do that.”

I shrugged. I wasn’t entirely sure myself.

“You can’t do that. You can’t tell me that this is not what you want and then kiss me. That’s not how this works. You either be with me or you don’t.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “Tell me right now.”

“I…” I swallowed my embarrassment, but I my eyes burned with tears.

“Take me back to Val’s.” He didn’t give me any time to explain because he strode to the car and got into the passenger seat. I slowly rose from where I was sitting and got off the table still in shock. With a deep breath and a sniffle, I moved in robotically, folding the blankets and stacking the pillow on top of it before walking to the car. I opened the trunk and tossed them in there before slamming it shut.

I felt his fingers grab my chin, pulling me out of the memory. Warmth rose up my entire body. He raised my chin until my eyes met his. His eyes held sadness and desire. I bit my lip.

He opened his mouth to speak but I shook my head. He then dropped his forehead to mine and closed his eyes again. I let out a shaky breath. I repeated his actions and whispered, “I got an interview to work at a clerk’s office. I think you know him. His name is Wyatt Johnson. I think you know him.”

His eyes opened instantly; his face beheld surprise. “Wyatt Johnson?”

A smile gradually grew on my face as I nodded, biting my lip.

“The Alpha’s lawyer?” The exhaustion quickly replaced with a grin, showing the dimple that I adored, and his eyes twinkled.

I nodded again with a short laugh.

Placing both of his rough, tan hands on my cheeks, he pulled me closer. Our noses touched, and our lips were a hairsbreadth apart. His deep gray eyes held so many words, but they traveled to my lips and darkened. A flash of gold appeared.

I swallowed, my throat dry. Heart pounding and ears ringing. My mind turned to mush as he finally brought his lips over mine.

I sighed with relief and gasped with desire. The feeling of being home struck me. This was where I was meant to be. With him.

His lips massaged mine, coaxing slowly. He pulled me closer and a moan elicited from the back of his mouth. My toes curled at the noise, and my mind lost all thought. My body subconsciously leaned into him, as my hands traveled up his arms and around his neck. I tugged at the ends of his soft hair. He pulled my bottom lip into his mouth. He smelled like winter and tasted like mint.

Pure ecstasy. I wanted more. More. More.

His body was hard against mine. His large hands roamed all around me. Wherever he touched left goosebumps. Heat rushed through my entire body.

He grabbed my waist and pulled me over him as he moved backwards, continuing to brush his lips with mine. I groaned as our hips moved in sync. I had never felt this way before.

We pulled apart to catch our breaths. My chest heaved against his, straddling him while he laid against the bed’s headboard. I put my hand on his cheek and caressed my thumb over his lips before bringing them back to mine with a smile. Just one more for good measure. A growl reverberated at the back of his throat. Music to my ears. I kissed him again.

I broke apart from him when a thought came to me: “It’s just an interview. I don’t even know if I’ll get the job.” My hands now rested on his chest.

He laughed, presenting me with his defined dimple, eyes dancing. “If he still wants his job, he’ll know what’s good for him.”

I smacked his chest playfully. “No, I want it fair and square. Don’t interfere.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t.” He tried to pull me back into another kiss, but I stopped him again.

“I won’t be there until Monday.”

He laughed and said, “I don’t care,” before kissing me into pure bliss.