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ChapterOne
Shaye
Sixteen Years Old
Icould never quite pinpoint the day I fell in love with Everett Greene. It was a subtle shift in how I saw him at first. The small smiles that made my heart beat a bit faster, sweet brushes of his hand over mine, and small moments we spent together sharing secret looks.
For several years we were too scared to take that step or tell each other how we felt.
Then I found myself dreaming about this alpha at night and thinking about him each morning. He haunted my thoughts in the best way.
When my parents were separating, he was there to hold me when the tears were falling down my cheeks. He told me that everything would be alright and I would always have him by my side.
Everett was a twin, which meant it wasn’t usually just the two of us. Lake was a permanent fixture in our lives and I loved him as much as I loved his brother.
The three of us experienced every major milestone together. We were inseparable from childhood and all through our teen years.
Lake and I spent our days mocking each other and pulling pranks, earning us more than a handful of groundings.
Everett was the calming force between us. Even when he came into his designation and we realized he was an alpha, he was unwavering in his calm. It was refreshing to have an alpha who was sweet and thoughtful, protective and calm, unwavering. There was no lame posturing and pretending he was above us or crazy testosterone surges.
He was just Everett, the same gentle giant who had always been by my side.
Then one day he looked at me and told me that I was his. Our scents had come in and there was no denying the truth.
That was when everything changed.
My little crush turned into something new and raw. It was beautiful and chaotic and all consuming.
We fell hard.
Everyone told us we were too young to be as close as we were, but we’d always been close. He was my constant. The one person I could tell every secret to and never had to fear if he would use it against me.
Right now his hand was in mine as he pulled us through town to our special spot. His scent of sage and cedar mixing with the smell of late night campfires of summertime.
It was my favorite time of year. Lockwood had a lake we loved to swim in all day and ended the evening with a huge family barbecue. Now my family was just me and mom, but during the summer it felt like I actually mattered to her.
We’d snuck out after Lake fell asleep. It was our only chance to get away the last few days. This summer, Lake had been full of more energy than ever before.
The crickets were singing their nightly song as we moved through the summer night. Everett was humming a tune low under his breath and I couldn’t hide the smile on my face as I just breathed in and out, relaxed and happy.
The air was still sticky with humidity and my tank top was clinging to my skin. When I snuck a glance at my mate I swallowed hard. His jaw was covered in stubble and was shadowed sharply by the low, warm light of the streetlights as we passed.
“You’re always doing that,” he rasped, giving me an amused look that had his turquoise eyes sparkling.
“What? Walking?” I asked, confused now that he’d pulled me out of my admiration.
“No, staring at me,” he said with a soft laugh. “Like I’m something special.”
“Looking at you is one of my favorite things.” I groaned and blushed furiously. “That was so cheesy.”
“I like looking at you, too,” he said, squeezing my hand in his. It was just like Everett to embrace it and make my awkwardness feel normal.
We stopped as we reached the top of the small hill and settled in. From here, we could see the entire valley below us and the sky expanding for what felt like millions of miles around us.
“There’s the comet,” Everett whispered as he moved our clasped hands toward the sky. We were laying side by side now and his scent of sage and cedar settled over me like a warm blanket.
I shivered, but it was more from being so close to my mate than anything. I’d known it from the moment his scent hit me. There was no denying it and when he finally realized I was his, the rest was history.
