The Prophecy Series: The Black Wolf

ADDISON

I woke up in the comfort of my old childhood bedroom. I rolled over and looked around the room. My handmade oakwood desk sat in front of the window with a bookshelf on each side. The shelves were filled with my favorite books—Wuthering Heights, The Twilight Saga—cliché, I know—and a bunch of young adult novels and classics. I had always been an avid reader, and not much had changed in six years.

I slowly got up and got dressed for the day. I decided to unpack my bags. I put most of my clothes in the empty dresser drawers and some in the closet. I didn’t have much, mostly because I had to travel light for the past year.

I set my easel up in the corner of the bedroom next to the bed. I needed to get some canvas as I had none. I set my paints up and looked over everything, making a mental note of the supplies I would need to grab when going into town.

I threw on a fresh matching set of red lace panties and a bra before deciding on a pair of worn black jeans and a black Iron Maiden band tee. I threw my hair up in a messy bun before leaving my room to walk downstairs.

I half expected Braxton to already be gone, but he was sitting on the couch in the living room talking to Tye. I stood awkwardly in the entryway before Braxton noticed me. Typically, with wolf hearing and smell, he would have noticed me sooner, but perhaps he was too caught up under the presence of his mate.

“Hey,” Braxton said, standing to his feet.

“Hey,” I said, looking between the two of them.

I could tell by the look on Tye’s face that my timing was terrible.

“I think I am going to go for a walk. I’ll be back in an hour or so,” I said, turning away and rushing toward the door. I threw on my black boots and walked out the door.

They needed to talk. And I didn’t need to hear it. Braxton was my uncle, and Tye was my best friend. I was happy for them but also jealous. If I am honest, I wasn’t surprised when they turned out to be mates. Prior to them meeting, I had thought they had a lot in common.

I walked out the front door and headed toward the pack house. I wanted to see Luna Alaina and let her know that I was back. Braxton had said she was aware of my return, but I wanted to see her for myself.

She had reached out every once in a while throughout the past years. Checking in during the holidays and calling to wish me a happy birthday. I had missed the mother-daughter relationship that I had with her. Besides, Jaxon was out of town, so I was safe for the time being.

Not that I was ever in danger—physically around Jaxon. Emotionally…that was another story.

A few of the pack members I had passed during my trek looked at me with strange expressions. I am sure that they knew who I was due to smell, and I chalked up their strange expression to the fact that they could now smell my wolf.

I stepped inside the pack house and took a deep breath. For the most part, everything looked the same and smelled the same. It was like coming home after a long trip. The feel of it all was relaxing. I suppose that I missed the place more than I had originally thought I did.

I walked toward the kitchen, following the smell of Luna Alaina’s chocolate chip cookies. I paused in the doorway, watching Hayden and Luna Alaina move about the kitchen. Taking the cookies out and moving them from the baking sheet onto a serving plate.

Hayden paused what she was doing and looked up at me. A bright smile took over her face, and soon Luna Alaina had followed her movements. They both stood there with their mouths agape, taking me in.

“Oh, my goddess,” Luna Alaina said, breaking the silence.

“You look like a totally different person!” Hayden shouted and dropped the spatula in her hand before running toward me.

Before I could react, she had tackled me into a hug. I laughed and hugged her back. Once she let me go, Luna Alaina then tackled me.

“You look stunning,” Luna Alaina said, pulling back for a moment before pulling me into another hug.

“Mom,” Hayden said after a few minutes of Luna Alaina hugging me.

“Okay, come and sit,” she said, pulling me to the small table in the corner of the kitchen. All three of us sat down together.

“Braxton said you were coming home; I almost didn’t believe it,” Luna Alaina said with a smile.

“Yeah, I didn’t really have much choice when I shifted in the middle of Spain,” I laughed. Hayden gaped.

“What’s your wolf like?” Hayden asked.

“She is quiet,” I said, clasping my hands on the table in front of me.

“Oh, don’t you worry about that. There could be because of a numerous number of reasons why. It could be that you shifted late, or it could be that you met your mate already…I mean…” Luna Alaina started before pausing.

“The point is, don’t worry about it,” Hayden said, shaking her head.

Okay, that was a little strange. I made a mental note of their reaction before brushing it off.

“Okay,” I said, nodding.

“How was your traveling?” Hayden asked, changing the subject.

“Great,” I said.

For some reason, Jaxon popped up in my head, and I was unsure why. I felt uneasy, and before I could stop myself, I asked, “How is Jaxon and his mate?”

“Um, what do you mean?” Luna Alaina asked. She seemed shocked by my question, as did Hayden.

“Well, I said I wouldn’t say anything—I promised, but that was six years ago. He told me that he had found his mate already and that things were complicated. I was just wondering if things were still complicated or if they were together,” I said with a shrug.

I didn’t feel bad about breaking my promise to him. He had taken my virginity and completely ignored me for six years. I owed the man nothing.

“Well,” Luna Alaina started.

“No fucking way!” a voice erupted from behind me. I turned and saw Buckley standing there.

I hadn’t seen the man in almost eight years. He lived with Braxton and me for three years while he trained for the beta position for his pack in Texas.

“Buck!” I yelled, jumping out of my chair and running toward him.

He caught me in his arms and spun me around with a laugh.

“My goddess, you are beautiful!” he said, placing me on my feet and kissing my cheek.

“Aw, shucks,” I said, fluttering my lashes with a smile.

“I’m serious, look at you!” he said, walking around me in a circle. “That ass,” he said before walking back in front of me. He winked at me before pulling me into another hug.

“Buck!” I said, laughing at him. He was always the biggest flirt, and he has always been the gayest man I had ever met.

A growl erupted from behind me, and Buck stepped back before his eyes grew as big as saucers. I watched as he leaned his head to the right to bare his neck as a sign of submission. I looked over at the table and saw that Hayden and Luna Alaina were in the same pose as Buckley.

What irked me the most was how my body seemed to respond to the growl. I took a deep breath and bravely turned around to face the wrath of the man who had growled. I wondered for a moment why the growl didn’t seem to affect me as it did then. My eyes quickly locked with Jaxon’s as a gasp left my throat.

“Fuck,” I rasped, taking him in. He still looked like a god. His pale blue eyes bore through me, his fists clenched at his sides, his muscles bulged from his black shirt, and his jeans did nothing to hide the growing bulge between his legs. His chocolate hair was left an untamed mess on his head, the curls were thick and nearly covered his whole forehead.

“Mate,” my wolf yelled, and I felt my knees grow weak.

“No, no, no,” I said, shaking my head. “If this is true,” I said, gesturing between Jaxon and I, “then you would have known when you turned eighteen and you would have said something,” I said, shaking my head.