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 Would you like to see chapters of my books before they come

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 Cast of Characters
Abigail: Werecat beta (mountain lion) Islander. Ginger hair. Tan fur.
Adam: Werecat beta (mountain lion) Aiden’s beta. Brown hair.
Brown eyes. Muscular build. Tan and yellow fur. Short temper.
Deceased.
Aiden Jansen: Werecat alpha (mountain lion) Blair’s previous
alpha. Tall. Blond hair in a man bun. Deceased.
Allison Barnes: Werecat (mountain lion) Nikita’s younger sister.
Long brown hair. Azure eyes.
Amber Jansen: Werecat omega (mountain lion) Married to
Jonathan Jansen, mother to Aiden and Max Jansen. Dark brown hair.
Dull green eyes. Deceased.
Annika Roswell: Werecat beta (mountain lion) Mainland. Petite.
Strawberry-blonde hair. Enormous dark green eyes.
Arielle: Werecoyote omega Jesse’s half-Filipina omega. Warm
brown hair. Reddish-brown eyes. Russet brown fur, bottle brush tail.
Chocolate-cinnamon scent. Rescued from Gray Mackenzie.
Arthur Mordaine: Avian Jesse’s shifter lawyer. Tall and rail-thin.
Curved nose. Gold, circular glasses. Short brown hair. Black feathers.
Benji Shaw: Werewolf beta captain Jesse’s half-brother and best
friend. Dark blond hair. Hazel eyes. Gray fur. Viola student at
Everleigh University.
Blair Avalon: Werecat omega (lynx) Jesse’s omega. Dyed black
hair. Honey-colored eyes. Vanilla and honey scent. Sister of Gemma
Avalon. Rescued from Aiden Jansen.
Brenden: Werecoyote beta captain Mainland. Jet-black fur. Rangy
build.
Caleb Moreno: Werecoyote beta Mainland. Copper-colored skin.
Black curly hair. Reddish-brown eyes. Bronze-colored fur. Smoky
markings on paw and snout.
Cameron: Werecat beta (mountain lion) Islander. Tan and white fur.
Youngest pack member. Best friends with Finn.
Charlie: Werecat beta (mountain lion) Islander. Curly blond hair.
Blue eyes. Tan fur with a black mark under his chin.
Charlie Jansen: Werecat infant Islander. Dirty blond hair. Green
eyes. Son of Aiden Jansen and Sarah. Five years old.
Christopher: Werecat beta (lynx) Mainland. Long dark hair. Blue
eyes. Campus security.
Coral: Werecat beta (mountain lion) Islander. Quiet by fierce.
Sweet, angelic smile.
Daniel: Werecat beta captain (mountain lion) Islander. African-
American. Very strong. Wanted to be in the military.
Dr. Chase: Human Jesse’s professor at Everleigh University. Crow-
like woman. Wrinkly face.
Dr. Stenton: Werecoyote Monroe town doctor. Black hair.
Eliza: Werecat beta (lynx) Mainland. Sleek black hair. Pale eyes.
Zane’s twin sister.
Ethan: Werecat beta (mountain lion) Islander. Black-brown hair.
Eva Rafe: Werewolf beta captain Jesse’s aunt on his father’s side.
Dark brown hair. Icy-blue eyes. Silvery coat that’s sleek and full.
Finn: Werecat beta (mountain lion) Islander. Messy blond hair. Best
friends with Cameron.
Florence: Human Waitress at Alice’s Restaurant. Bright ginger hair.
Forest green eyes. Assisted Jesse with information on the were-
hunters.
Frederick: Werecat beta (lynx) Islander. Curly brown hair. Very
quiet. Boyfriend of Lily.
Gemma Avalon: Werecat beta (lynx) Mainland. Brown hair. Hazel
eyes. Sister of Blair Avalon. Campus security.
Grace: Werecat beta (lynx) Islander. Short brown hair. Green-brown
eyes.
Gray Mackenzie: Werecoyote alpha Arielle’s previous alpha. Long,
highlighted, curly hair. Blue eyes. Orange-brown fur with black-
tipped hairs. Deceased.
Gregory: Werewolf beta Mainland. Buzzed brown hair. Gray eyes.
Gus Dunn: Werefox beta captain Short blond hair. One green eye,
one brown eye. Rotund figure. Red fur. Deceased.
Hailey: Werewolf omega Jesse’s omega. Brown and blonde-
streaked hair. Green eyes. Light-gray fur, white speckled chin and
stomach. Ears are a darker shade of gray. Honeysuckle and lavender
scent. Deceased brother was a were-hunter.
Hannah Pierce: Human Jesse’s class partner at Everleigh
University. Blonde hair. Dark brown eyes. Former cheerleader.
Harry: Werewolf beta Mainland. Short brown hair. Blue eyes.
Muscular build. Dark gray fur. Like a big brother to Hailey.
Hazel Wise: Human Shifter Detection Department agent. Long,
mahogany hair. Almond-colored eyes. Heart-shaped face.
Holly: Werecat beta (lynx) Islander. Ginger hair. Green eyes.
Orange-brown fur.
Hope: Werecat beta (mountain lion) Islander. Short golden hair.
Brown eyes. Very shy.
Jackson: Werecat beta (mountain lion) Islander. Short dark hair.
Cyan eyes. Blond and tan fur.
Jake Woodruff: Human Jesse’s friend. Member of DnD group. Film
Major at Everleigh University.
Jesse Rafe: Werewolf alpha. Tan skin. Dark brown hair. Blue eyes.
Black fur. Violin student at Everleigh University. Parents were Ivan
and Miranda Rafe.
Jonathan Jansen: Werecat alpha (mountain lion) Gray-blond hair.
Blue eyes. Married to Amber Jansen, father of Max and Aiden
Jansen. Deceased.
Kahn: Werecoyote beta Mainland. Black hair with silver strands.
Karina Barnes: Werecat beta (mountain lion) Mother of Nikita and
Allison. Widow of Anthony Barnes. Brown hair. Teal eyes.
Kassidy: Werewolf beta Mainland. Curly black hair. Brown and gray
fur.
Kiri Everard: Werecoyote beta Mainland. Platinum-blonde hair.
Reddish-brown eyes. Ash-colored fur. Map enthusiast.
Kristina: Werecat beta (mountain lion) Mainland. Black hair. Pale
green eyes. Campus security.
Leo Williams: Werecoyote beta Mainland. Hawk-like nose. Sand-
colored hair. Hazel eyes.
Lily: Werecat beta (lynx) Islander. Blonde hair. Bright green eyes.
Girlfriend of Frederick. Worst vegetarian ever.
Lyla Jansen: Werecat infant Islander. White-blonde hair. Brown
eyes. Daughter of Aiden Jansen and Olivia. Three years old.
Marco: Werecoyote beta Mainland. Flaxen-haired. Stocky build.
Marley: Werecat beta (mountain lion) Islander. Turquoise eyes.
White tufts of fur on ears.
Max Jansen: Werecat alpha (mountain lion) Golden hair. Emerald
eyes. Broad build. Lived off parents’ wealth. Deceased.
Newt: Werecat beta (cougar) Max’s beta. Bald head. Scar on neck.
Broken front tooth. Deceased.
Nikita Barnes: Werecat omega (mountain lion) Jesse’s omega.
Light tan. Caramel-brown hair. Teal eyes. Golden fur. Citrus-sweet
scent. Creative writing major at Everleigh University.
Noah: Werecat beta (mountain lion) Islander. Brown hair. Yellow-
brown eyes.
Olivia: Werecat beta (mountain lion) Islander. Curly, light-red hair.
Brown eyes. Mother of Lyla Jansen.
Parker Little: Human Jesse’s friend. Red hair. Freckles. Wire-
framed glasses. Member of the DnD group.
Peter Daughtry: Werecoyote Mainland. Gray hair. Retired park
ranger.
Poppy Jansen: Werecat infant Islander. Black hair. Blue eyes.
Always wears hair bows. Daughter of Aiden Jansen and Sophie. Four
years old.
Professor Collins: Human Jesse’s music professor at Everleigh
University. Short brown hair.
Quinn: Werecat beta (lynx) Islander. Short brown hair. Sea-blue
eyes. Mother of Rebecca Jansen.
Raina: Werewolf beta Mainland. Long, curly red hair. Her brother
was her previous alpha.
Randell Snyder: Werefox alpha Shoulder-length, greasy brown
hair. Scar from right eye to cheek. Red fur. Deceased.
Rebecca Jansen: Werecat infant Islander. Blonde hair. Blue eyes.
Speaks with a lisp. Daughter of Aiden Jansen and Quinn. Four years
old.
Sabine: Werecat beta (mountain lion) Max’s beta. Blonde pixie cut.
Petite build. Deceased.
Sarah: Werecat beta (mountain lion) Islander. Dark blonde hair.
Green eyes. Mother of Charlie Jansen.
Serena: Werecat beta (mountain lion) Mainland. Golden hair. Beauty
mark on right cheek. Campus security.
Seth: Werewolf beta Mainland. Buzzed blond hair. Brown and gray
fur.
Sophie: Werecat beta (lynx) Islander. Black hair. Brown eyes.
Mother of Poppy Jansen.
Spencer: Werecat beta captain (mountain lion) Islander. Ginger
hair. Wanted to be a football player.
Thalia: Werecoyote beta Mainland. Tawny hair. Blue, doll-like eyes.
Tawny fur with a fluffy tail.
Thomas: Werecat beta (mountain lion) Mainland. Sandy hair. Blocky
glasses. Wants to be an engineer.
Travis Kelly: Human Jesse’s friend. Member of DnD group.
Mexican-Irish nationality.
Wren: Werecat beta (mountain lion) Islander. Always wears
sunglasses.
Zane: Werecat beta (lynx) Mainland. Black hair. Pale eyes. Eliza’s
twin brother. Campus security.
 Chapter 1
I scribbled down the last few words of my answer moments
before the allowed time was up. Then I dropped my pen and used
my desk as a pillow as my final exam came to an end.

It felt like I hadn’t had a good night’s sleep for weeks as I

prepared for these exams, but they were finally over, and summer
vacation could officially begin.

Well, I still had the alumni banquet in a couple of days, but

that was nothing compared to the anxiety I’d felt in the last few
weeks.

A tense silence settled over the room as a few students around

me did their best to answer the last question. The examiner

wandered up and down the rows of tables silently, and it often felt

like I was being watched by a hawk every time they stopped at my

desk, peered at my work, and then continued back to their desk at

the front of the room.

A few of the students sniffed and coughed, and I had a theory

that pollen or an irritating substance had been pumped into these

exam rooms minutes before everyone entered. Because no matter

how well a student felt before they walked into this room, there was
always an irritating cough that wouldn’t budge, or a runny nose they

couldn’t turn off.

And my heightened hearing meant I couldn’t ignore any of it

during a single exam.

Either way, I managed to finish my work without being too

distracted, and I felt confident with the answers I wrote down, so

that was the main thing.

Once our time came to an end, the examiner told us to leave

our papers neatly on the desk, and then we were allowed to silently

leave the room, but we had to be considerate of the other exams

going on around us.

My half-brother, Benji, still had thirty minutes left on his, and

he was in the room directly beside mine, so I didn’t want to distract

him or any other students around him.

“How did you do?” my classmate, Hannah Pierce, whispered as

we headed to get our bags.

“Yeah, not bad.” I shrugged. “It wasn’t as terrible as I thought

it was going to be. What about you?”

“Urgh, Jesse, I’ll be lucky if I scrape by with a pass,” she

sighed. “The first few questions were fine, but I swear the time went
quicker as soon as I reached the last page.”

“I know what you mean,” I said as we shoved our pens and

water bottles in our bags. “I genuinely didn’t think I was going to

complete those last three questions, and I think I had about thirty

seconds left at the end.”

“Thirty seconds?” Hannah smirked. “I had, like, minus three

seconds, ‘cause I was still writing when the exam was over.”

Hannah didn’t exactly struggle in that particular class, but she

definitely didn’t find it as easy as I did, so I was impressed she even

managed to finish it in the first place.

Once we had everything collected, Hannah and I wandered

toward the parking lot where I had planned to meet Nikita and Benji

when they were finished.

“So, what are your plans for the summer?” Hannah asked.

“I don’t think I have any,” I replied. “Probably take it easy,

catch up on sleep, that sort of thing. Do you have any plans?”

I also needed to work with my enormous pack of shifters,

potentially murder a few guys who threatened my family, and care

for my loving omegas… one of whom was pregnant. But I didn’t feel

the need to tell Hannah that much.

 “Oooh, catching up on sleep is a good idea,” she giggled. “I

have to go to California for some family gathering on my dad’s side,

but that’s about it. Hey, maybe we could do something when I get
back? Have a day at the beach? Apparently if you’re lucky, you can

see seals there!”

What Hannah Pierce didn’t know was that I was good friends
with those seals, and they had helped me cover up multiple

murders.

“Yeah, I’ve heard someone say that.” I fought back the grin

that tried to escape. “Seals are so skittish, though, so that’s probably

why they’re hard to spot.”

“I just think they’re beautiful animals.” Hannah smiled.

“They’re so sleek, and their eyes are mesmerizing!”

“Hey, maybe you’ll see sea lions when you’re in California?” I

said.

“I’ll make sure to send you a picture if I do.” She smirked.

“Anyway, I better go. But have a great summer, okay? And message
me if you ever wanna… y’know, hang out?”

“Sure, enjoy your trip.” I smiled.

 Hannah scooped her blonde hair over one shoulder as she shot
me another flirty smile and turned on her heels. She rocked her hips

from side to side as she headed for her car, and I had a strong
feeling Hannah put on that act for my eyes only.

There wasn’t anything wrong with Hannah Pierce, and I’d be

blind if I didn’t notice how gorgeous she was, but she was nothing
compared to the four incredible omegas I shared a bed with every

night. Plus, she didn’t have that incredibly alluring scent that all
omegas did. The one that literally hijacked my entire system and

made me lust after a woman with a vengeance until I could finally

knot in her, mark her, and claim her as my own.

Just the thought made me salivate, and I swallowed hard and

took a deep breath to calm my alpha brain down.

Hannah had only noticed me once I had embraced my alpha

werewolf nature, and if I didn’t have my four women at home, then

I would have been desperate to spend every waking moment with a

girl as lovely as Hannah. However, I always had to soften the blow

whenever she asked for us to meet up, and she didn’t seem to get
the hint that I wasn’t as interested in her as she was in me.

Now, if she turned out to be some sexy fox girl, or part seal, or
even a bird shifter…
 But those thoughts instantly left my mind as Nikita plodded

toward me.

Her caramel-brown hair glistened in the afternoon sun, and

her teal eyes were mixed with excitement and exhaustion as she had

one hand placed over her pregnant stomach.

“Aaah, we’re done!” Nikita called out as she threw her arms

around my neck.

My omega’s citrus-sweet scent blew over me like a gale force

wind, and I held Nikita close to me as I took in every ounce of her

intoxicating beauty.

Nikita was almost halfway through her pregnancy, so her

stomach had “popped” according to Arielle, but Nikita continued to

wear her flowy tops and dresses to hide her midsection as best she
could.

“How did you do?” I asked as Nikita took a small step back.

“It was alright…” She shrugged. “But did you hear Benji’s
thoughts just then?”

“No?” I frowned. “I must have subconsciously blocked off

everyone else’s thoughts. What was he saying?”
 “Oh, my God, he’s seriously struggling,” Nikita giggled. “Well,

maybe not struggling, but he just forgot how to spell the word
‘perspective,’ and he went through the entire alphabet in order to
get it right.”

“Wow,” I chuckled. “It just shows what finals can do to

someone.”

“I know, right?” Nikita grinned. “But in all seriousness, I think

he’ll end up acing the exam. We all will.”

“Yeah, I’m sure we will.” I smiled. “Benji is much smarter than

people think.”

Nikita and I headed toward her Range Rover with her hand

clutched in mine, and our campus security was already at the cars
waiting for us.

Kristina, Serena, Christopher, Zane, and Gemma all had bright

smiles on their faces, and Zane chugged back a can of Coke before

he squashed it together in his palms. Then he held a fist against his

mouth as he let out an earth-shattering belch.

“Ew, disgusting!” Serena cupped her hand over her nose and

mouth. “Weren’t you ever taught about manners?”

 “Hey, better out than in.” Christopher shrugged. “And at least it
came out from that end…”

“Yeah, I could have let rip in front of all of you,” Zane said. “I

consider that as being thoughtful.”

“Oh, like you don’t ever fart in the car?” Gemma raised a

single eyebrow. “We need to start wearing gas masks in order to

save ourselves from your fumes.”

“And you make sure every man and his fucking dog can smell
it,” Kristina replied with a look of disgust.

“Hell yeah, I do!” Zane cheered as he smacked his hand

against Christopher’s.

I couldn’t help but laugh at their playful nature, but the girls

thought it was the most disgusting thing they’d ever heard.

“What am I missing?” Benji asked as he wandered over.

His hazel eyes were bloodshot, and his dark blond hair was a

mess like he had been yanking at it for the last hour. He still had a

friendly smile on his face, but he plodded forward like a zombie.

“The girls are complaining because I belched.” Zane rolled his

eyes. “But I said at least I didn’t hold it in and have it come out the

other end.”
 “Aah, man, Jess, remember the other night?” Benji asked.

“Arielle made this incredible chili, but I thought I was going to shit

myself for the rest of the evening. It just wouldn’t stop! Those beans
did not work with me, dude.”

“Yes, and I thought my morning sickness was over…” Nikita

grumbled. “We literally had to open every window to get the smell
out.”

“But the chili was amazing.” My mouth salivated at the

thought. “You couldn’t even tell it was vegan.”

“What?” Benji asked in horror. “Was it vegan?”

“Yeah.” I nodded. “She didn’t tell you that?”

“No!” my beta captain gasped. “That’s probably why it affected

me so badly. I’m far too used to meat, and I need it in my diet on a

daily basis.”

“Sure, blame it on the lentils,” Serena chuckled.

“Speaking of food, if I don’t get something to eat right now,

my baby is going to have a fit,” Nikita said as she rubbed her swollen

stomach.

“Oh, my goodness, you won’t be far off from having the baby
when classes start up again!” Gemma squealed. “Time is going by so
quickly!”

“Tell me about it,” I chuckled.

“Dude, you’re going to be even bigger by then,” Benji added.

“We’ll need to help you squeeze through doorways and everything.”

I knew Benji meant it as a joke, but his small audience looked

away awkwardly and cleared their throats as Nikita shot my half-

brother a deadly look.

“Excuse me?” she asked as she closed the distance between

them. “Even bigger?”

“I, uh… I mean…” Benji cowered away as he tried to think of a

response. “I just meant, y’know… bigger than you are… now?”

That didn’t help his case, and our campus security scrambled

into their car as Nikita grabbed Benji’s ear and twisted it sharply in

her hand.

“Ooooh,” Christopher said from the car. “I wouldn’t want to be

in his shoes.”

“Do you want to repeat that?” Nikita asked.

“No…” Benji squeaked. “But I’d like to apologize?”

“You have three seconds to shut the hell up and get into that

car before you’re left to walk home,” my omega said. “But

remember, unless you wanna keep your balls, never say anything

about the size of my stomach, unless it’s along the lines of me

looking like a fucking goddess. Got it?”

“Got it.” Benji nodded his head like a frightened mouse, and

then he jumped into the car and slammed the door.

“Aah, that was fun,” Nikita giggled as she wiped her hands

clean.

“But do you really think he’ll learn his lesson?” I asked with a

grin.

“Yes!” Benji shouted. “I’ve taken it all in, and I apologize!”

“Hmm… we’ll see.” Nikita shrugged.

“I’m giving it two weeks before it happens again,” I laughed.

“Or he’ll make some childish joke about your body after you give
birth.”

“Fucking hell, no!” Benji called out. “Dude, Nikita’s like my

sister! I don’t want to know what’s going on downstairs! Or hear

about how sore her tits are!”

Nikita and I just laughed as we jumped into the front of the

Range Rover, and Benji mumbled quietly to himself in the back seat.
 “What about when I get so horny that I can’t control myself?”
Nikita asked as she reversed from the parking spot. “Would you like

to hear about that?”

“Not really…” Benji replied.

Fortunately, the subject quickly changed, and we no longer

talked about the goings-on inside Nikita’s body. Instead, Benji

mentioned how he had been studying all night for weeks, so he felt

like he hadn’t had a proper sleep in a long time. Nikita was just
looking forward to sleeping until she was ready to wake up and

living a free life until summer was over. I didn’t want to burst her

bubble and tell her that dream might be harder to achieve than she

first thought.

In the four weeks since we had slaughtered Theo Finch’s

werewolf betas, my pack and I had been keeping a close eye around

my territory and even further outside it. Nothing had happened since
then, and the alpha who’d murdered my parents was still out there

somewhere.

But he was going to show up sooner or later. I had no doubt

about that.
 I’d had patrol groups working around the clock to make sure

no one slipped into my lands, and they’d broadened their searches

just in case they missed something. I even had one group check out
the field where the fight took place, but all they came across were

the abandoned bones of the werewolf betas. Surely Theo Finch

knew his betas would never be returning by now, so I couldn’t work

out why nothing had happened in that time.

Did he even care that he had lost over a hundred members of

his own pack?

No one had been near the area in the last four weeks, so my
betas had started to feel positive that nothing was going to happen.

But I still kept them patrolling, just to be on the safe side.

As an alpha, I knew damn well no one would let an altercation

like ours go unchecked. It was only a matter of time.

But that wasn’t all that had happened in the past month.

Abigail had made a full recovery after she was left close to

death by one of Theo Finch’s werewolves. Her severely broken arm,

ribs, and dislocated shoulder had fully healed, and she had a
wonderful scar on her side and down to her stomach now. Dr.

Stenton was impressed that it only took Abigail two weeks to

recover, but he still warned her to be careful, even though she was
desperate to get back into action.

The rogue werewolves who joined my pack now had a proper

place to live, so they weren’t still camping out in our log cabin. I had

managed to purchase two large homes near the main street of

Monroe, so the fifteen werewolves split into two groups, and each

chose a house. But this still meant they were close enough to Hailey,
which I knew made them feel more settled.

Hailey, my newest omega, had totally come out of her shell,

especially after she’d told us her large secret. The entire pack, apart
from the werewolves, were completely blown away when they heard
Hailey was actually Sarah, the were-hunter’s lost sister. They asked

her questions about her backstory, and they even asked her which
name Hailey preferred, but she just smiled and said Sarah had
disappeared a long time ago.

Hailey was still a bit anxious whenever she left the house,

mainly because she had been looking over one shoulder for so long,
but that was now starting to ease up. It helped that she had Blair,
Arielle, and Aunt Eva to keep her company while Nikita, Benji, and I

were in Everleigh. But every time I came home and asked them
about their day, Hailey would tell me she watched one of her favorite
nostalgic movies, or she had spent the afternoon playing on her

Game Boy.

The handheld console was Hailey’s prized possession. Blair just

about cried when she heard the Mario theme song, but Arielle, who
had lived a more sheltered life, had only ever seen Game Boy
commercials growing up. Now, they all had great fun sitting together

and watching each other play, and it really warmed my heart to

know they would spend their weekdays together and take part in
each other’s favorite activities.

And now that classes had finished for the summer, Nikita and I
could join them in the afternoons, and we didn’t have to leave the

house at the crack of dawn every morning.

“I hope Aunt Eva has some muffins ready.” Benji’s words jolted

me from my thoughts. “No one makes blueberry muffins like she

does.”

“It would depend on if Arielle allows her to make some,” I

chuckled. “As long as they’re made with whole wheat flour and

honey, then we should be okay.”

Arielle was still on a health kick, and she believed a healthier

lifestyle would help her get pregnant, so she’d made everyone join
the journey with her.

“Yeah, but why add the honey?” Benji asked. “We’re going to

burn off the calories anyway, so does it make much difference?”

“It makes her happy.” I shrugged. “She’s not poisoning

anyone, so as long as Arielle is happy, then so am I.”

“And it’s not about the calories,” Nikita said as we neared the

cabin. “It all has to do with how our bodies store and use these
ingredients, so she’s going for healthier alternatives, even though
they’re probably the same amount of calories.”

“I still miss my Lucky Charms in the morning,” Benji grumbled.

“I’m a wolf, I need red meat and high energy foods. I’m not a bird

like Arthur Mordaine, so I don’t do well with muesli.”

“Feel free to bring this up with Arielle, but she’ll react the

same way Nikita did in the parking lot,” I chuckled.

“Hmm… y’know what? I might just leave it,” Benji mumbled.

“My ear still hurts from that attack.”

“Good,” Nikita giggled. “At least you’ve learned your lesson.”

“Yes, you look like a goddess, Nikita,” Benji recited for good
measure.
 “Yeah, I do,” my werecat omega sighed, and she sent me a
flirty wink.

Our home was alive with voices and activity as we wandered

through the front door.

Blair, Hailey, and Arielle, who had been sitting in the living
area, ran over to us and greeted us with sweet kisses and warm
hugs. We hadn’t even been out of the house for that long today, but

it still felt like we had been apart for days.

“How did the exams go?” Blair asked with her head pressed
against my chest.

“It went well.” I smiled. “I’m just glad they’re over and done
with now.”

“I’m sure you are,” Hailey replied. “You’ve all been working so

hard.”

“And because of that, I thought you all deserve a treat.” Arielle

grinned.

“A treat?” Benji asked with a happy gleam in his tired eyes.

“Yep.” The werecoyote omega nodded. “I’ve tried out a new

recipe, so I’ve made some cookie dough for everyone to try.”

 “Make way!” Benji cried as he sprinted toward the kitchen. “No
one can stand in the way of me and some cookie dough!”

Should I tell him it’s vegan chickpea flour cookie dough? Arielle
whispered in our minds alone.

Probably not, I chuckled.

As long as it’s edible, I don’t care what I eat, Nikita said.

Hailey and Blair linked their arms through mine as we joined

Benji in the kitchen, and Arielle snuggled against Nikita directly
beside us.

My half-brother was found leaning against the kitchen counter

with a spoon in his mouth. The cookie dough had a large chunk
taken from the bowl, so I instantly knew Benji had helped himself.

“Oh, my fuck,” Benji groaned as he slowly chewed. “This shit

should be illegal.”

“Really?” Arielle asked. “It’s that good?”

“Yes!” he cried as he went in for a second scoop. “I was just

saying how much I miss this sort of food, and my prayers have been
answered!”

We all held back our laughter as we tried Arielle’s new

creation, and Benji’s reaction was justified. It was fucking good.

 The nut butter and dark chocolate added the right amount of

sweetness, but then there was a slight bite from the chickpea flour
and maple syrup. I couldn’t even taste the chickpeas, so I would
have had no idea they were mixed in there.

We decided not to tell Benji about the secret ingredients, and

Arielle was just happy that everyone went in for more.

My family and I stood around the kitchen counter for a few

more minutes as we emptied the bowl of cookie dough, and Blair

suggested watching a movie or maybe going for a swim. I would

have loved to spend the rest of the day in front of the TV, but my
day wasn’t over just yet.

The islanders I had been training before had now graduated,

so to speak, and they were constantly patrolling the forests without

needing my assistance now. My beta captains had assisted me in

training the other islanders, too, and now I only had eight more

werecats to train. They’d picked things up really quickly in the week

since the sessions started, so I didn’t think it was going to take too
long before the werecats were ready to deliver the kind of focus I

required of all my pack members.

Aiden had made them deadly as hell, but I needed more than

that. I needed stealth, careful planning, and incredible attention to

detail at all times.

“Hailey, do you still want to come along this afternoon?” I

asked.

I had taken one of my omegas to each training session, mainly

to help the islanders learn how to track and hunt various shifter

species, but it also meant I got to spend some one on one time with
each omega.

“Yes, please.” Hailey smiled. “If that’s okay with you, of

course?”

“Absolutely,” I replied. “I said we’d meet them in the forest at

four, so we’ll need to leave soon.”

“Okay,” she said happily. “Let me just change into a different

outfit.”

Hailey ran for the stairs, but I didn’t feel the need to change,
so I stayed back in the kitchen with the others.

Five minutes later, Hailey came back downstairs in an outfit

that just screamed the 90’s. She wore a pair of purple track pants
that had snaps down the sides, a matching purple windbreaker, a
white crop top, and a pair of white Kappa sneakers. Her light-brown

and blonde hair had been tied up into two space buns, and she kept
the fly-aways gripped back in colorful clips which were in the shape
of butterflies.

Hailey looked adorable, but she also slightly reminded me of

Sporty Spice.

Knowing her, this was probably exactly what she was going for.

Once we were ready to go, I kissed and hugged my remaining

omegas goodbye, and then Hailey and I headed toward my silver-
blue Porsche.

Apart from Blair and the betas, there wasn’t much I wanted to
thank Aiden for. However, his car was incredible, and I drove it

whenever I could.

“You’re not wearing your fanny pack,” I noticed as the car

roared through Monroe.

Hailey never left the house without her favorite bag, so I

wondered if maybe she had forgotten to snap it back on once she

was changed.

“Yeah, I decided to leave it at home,” Hailey replied. “I didn’t

want to misplace it in the woods or forget to pick it up. So it felt

safer to leave it in the bedroom.”

“That makes sense.” I nodded.

 Our training sessions now took place in a forest further north
of Monroe, just to make things a little more difficult for the werecats.

They were so used to the surrounding woods that it would have

made their tracking much easier, so I decided to change it up a bit.
This meant it took a bit longer to get there, but I could have driven

this car for hours, so that didn’t bother me.

“What are you going to make the werecats do today?” Hailey

asked a few minutes later. “Are they still working on the heartbeats?”

“Yeah, I think we’ll start with that,” I replied. “They need to

learn how to differentiate between our heartbeats and someone

else’s, so it’s important to keep that fresh in their minds. I’ll either
start with that, or we’ll have a chase to warm them up a bit, and

then work on the heartbeats.”

“I love going for a run,” Hailey said. “There’s no better feeling

than the wind slicing through our fur, and the feeling of our muscles
contracting together as we pick up our pace.”

“It must have been so hard for you to properly enjoy a run

when you lived with your parents,” I replied. “Not being able to go
out when you wanted, and not having that freedom you desired.”
 “Yes, definitely.” My omega nodded. “Especially since my

parents didn’t understand, and it was like they always knew what I
was up to whenever I said I was going for a run. They gave me a
look of pure disgust, and they barely even acknowledged me

whenever I returned.”

Hailey’s family were non-shifters, so no one had any idea how

she’d managed to become an omega in the first place. I
remembered her saying that her grandparents were going to look

into it, but her parents refused to listen and instantly dropped the
case. I was tempted to search for an answer, and I knew Hailey was
also interested to know the secret behind it all.

“At least we don’t have to worry about them anymore,” I said

as I gave her hand a squeeze. “You just need to tell me whenever
you want to go for a run, and we’ll always be happy to join you.”

“It’s funny, I actually no longer have that same desire,” she

chuckled. “I think it’s because I felt like a prisoner in my own home,

so I wanted to leave whenever I could. But now the opportunity is
right there in front of me, so I don’t need to work to get it.”

“I get what you mean,” I replied. “It’s like not being allowed to
have chocolate, but as soon as you have your fill, you no longer

crave it the way you used to.”

 “Yes, absolutely like that.” Hailey nodded. “I feel free now, so I
don’t need to free myself anymore.”

“Like a caged bird who has the ability to take flight.” I smiled.

“And you were the one to unlock the door,” Hailey said sweetly.

It always played with my heartstrings when I heard my

omegas say things like that. To know I had saved them from their

abusive alphas, or the jail cells they’d been forced into. I knew how
much they appreciated me, because they reminded me on a daily
basis, but it still meant a lot to hear them express their gratitude so

openly.

Our conversation became much lighter and happier after that,

and I parked the Porsche beside the edge of the forest to see the
eight werecats waiting for us.

Jude, Dexter, Kora, Angela, Elliott, Steph, Roman, and Kasia.

All eight of them looked just as pleased and eager to get

started, and Dexter, or Dex, already had his shoes in one hand and
his shirt in another. He was only eighteen, so he was still like a kitten

compared to the others, but Dex was constantly ready to tackle

everything I threw at him, and he didn’t back down from a
challenge.
 He’d also proudly informed me he was ready to fucking
slaughter anyone I pointed out to him, so I knew damn well Aiden

had at least worked with him long enough to make a killer out of
him.

A very eager one.

“Can we go?” Dex asked as he bounced on the balls of his

feet.

“Calm down, Dexter, for fuck’s sake,” Kasia sighed. “At least

allow Jesse to leave the car first.”

Kasia was like the mother of the group, even though she was

younger than most of them. She didn’t exactly take charge, but she
made sure to calm down the younger werecats like Dexter, Cameron,

and Finn. However, Kasia was currently dating one of my beta

captains, Spencer, so she probably got her leadership reputation
from him.

I appreciated her help, especially when Dex acted like he’d had
nineteen Pixy Stix as a snack before he came here.

“Yes, we can go,” I laughed. “Everyone needs to get into

position, and then we can see where we’ll go from there.”
 The eight werecats took off like a shot, and they stood in a
huddle beside the largest tree in the forest clearing.

Dex threw his clothes onto the ground and stood with cupped

hands over his dick, whereas the others were much slower at
removing their clothes.

Roman neatly folded his clothes and placed them on a fallen

tree where they wouldn’t get dirty. Then he combed his short black
hair with one hand so the fringe didn’t fall into his eyes.

Steph, Elliott, and Angela shoved their belongings into the

bags they’d brought with them, and Kora and Jude hung their shirts
and pants onto a few branches to make the area look neater.

Kasia placed her folded clothes beside the mess Dex had
made, but she put the outfit on top of her sneakers to keep them

from getting dirty. Then she tied her red hair up into a ponytail and
placed her hands on her hips. Unlike some of the islanders, Kasia
didn’t care if everyone saw her naked body.

Hailey and I also stripped from our clothes, and then I eyed
the werecats in front of me as I thought about their first mission.

“Okay…” I mumbled. “Just because it’s the last thing we did in

the previous session, I’m going to start with the heartbeats.”
 “Yes!” Elliott and Steph punched the air.

“I’m so fucking good at this, dude,” Dex chuckled.

“Prepare to lose, guys,” Kora said with a smug smile. “Jude

and I have got this in the fucking bag.”

“Alright, let’s listen to what Jesse has to say.” Kasia rolled her

eyes playfully.

“Thank you,” I chuckled. “As I was saying, we’ll start with the
heart rates. Hailey and I will hide somewhere in the forest, and then
you guys will need to use your hearing alone to track us down.”

“You’ve taken anosmiacs, right?” Roman asked.

“Sniff the air.” I grinned. “Does it smell like we’ve taken

anosmiacs?”

“Oh, yes,” he mumbled with a look of disgust. “All I can smell

is Dexter’s armpits, and it’s clear he hasn’t showered today…”

“Hey, I’ll have you know I shower every day!” Dex replied. “I’m
just not like you who has two showers before you even get dressed
in the morning.”

“There’s nothing wrong with that.” Roman shrugged.

Roman was a complete neat freak and a germaphobe, but I

loved him for it.
 “Are you finished?” I asked.

“Yeah, sorry…” Dex mumbled.

“Depending on how this round goes, I’ll decide whether we do

it again,” I continued. “We might end it there and start something

else, but I’ll decide once you’ve completed this challenge.”

Once everyone understood the rules, we all shifted into our

secondary forms.

There really was no better feeling than that of my skin being

replaced by my coarse, black fur, and as the wolf snout protruded
from my face. My curled claws broke through my paws, and they
scratched through the damp forest floor like a hot knife slicing
through butter.

Five mountain lions and three lynxes stood around us now,

and I had started getting a better idea of who everyone was from
their individual markings. That made things much easier, especially
since I couldn’t talk to this group telepathically just yet.

I made sure the werecats all turned around so they didn’t

watch us run, and then Hailey and I took off into the trees. I didn’t
quite know where to go, but I knew to take my werewolf omega as
far away as possible so the islanders couldn’t see us.
 How about over here? I asked a few minutes later. In that
patch of long grass between the trees?

Yeah, that works, Hailey replied. I think we’ve been running

for long enough now.

The clearing turned out to be better than I’d first expected,

and it came with a selection of chopped tree trunks that made the
perfect hiding place. Hailey and I could easily stay out of sight, and
it added an extra obstacle for the werecats to work around.

I bet they’ll be able to find me in seconds, Hailey barked out a

quiet laugh. My heart is beating so fast right now.

From all the running? I asked as I settled myself into the

grass.

Well, yes, but also watching you act all powerful and
domineering when you teach them. Hailey glanced over at me with
her glistening orange eyes. Watching you work causes my body to
go into overdrive.

Is that right? I asked as I brushed my wolfy head against hers.

And what else does it do to you?

Hmm… perhaps I can show you if you think we have long

enough… Hailey licked her lips with her bright pink tongue.
 It definitely wasn’t the first time I had fucked one of my
omegas during a training session, because Blair and I had to let out
our pent-up energy the other day in this very way. Sometimes we

couldn’t control our more animal urges, and I wasn’t going to

complain.

Then suddenly, before either Hailey or I could do anything, a

low growl came from the trees around us.

Who is that, Jesse? Hailey’s eyes widened as she peered

around her.

I don’t know… I replied. It can’t be the werecats already…

But then a feral scent hit my nose, and a tuneful howl

shattered the air.

And only one animal had the ability to make such a noise.

Is it Theo Finch? Hailey whined. Please say it’s not him.

Don’t worry, you’re safe, I promised as I continued to stare at

the trees. Theo and his pack wouldn’t have been able to get past the
patrol groups.

However, someone had managed to get past my security.

I barely had the time to let out a warning howl of my own

before five wolves stalked into the clearing.
 Chapter 2
The first thing I noticed as the wolves arrived was just how
small they appeared compared to me and Hailey. They were at least
half the size of us.

But as well as that, the wolves had a strange scent to them.

They smelled almost meaty, unlike the floral or spicy scents I’d
noticed with other shifters. I had no idea how the wild wolves had
gotten this far without someone noticing, but my anxiety simmered
down majorly when I realized they weren’t shifters, and they just so

happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

However, Hailey clearly hadn’t noticed that fact, and her

thoughts were based around one man, and one man only.

Are you sure these wolves don’t belong to Theo Finch? she
asked as we watched the pack circle us. He’s found us, Jesse. I
knew he was going to find us.

It was like the alpha had caused permanent PTSD to my

omega, and Hailey couldn’t take her mind away from the fear he had

embedded inside her. These wild wolves still came with a threat, but
they were nothing like shifters, so I had to do everything I could to
help calm Hailey down, but also show her we had the upper hand in

this situation.

I’m certain, I replied. Look at the differences between us.

These wolves are wild, and they’re just pissed we’re on a plot of
land they wish to own.

Wolves were incredibly territorial creatures, whether they

owned that land or not. If they wanted something, they’d work as a

team in order to get it.

We’d taken anosmiacs, but that could only do so much for us.

Primarily, it masked our shifter scents so other shifters couldn’t

pinpoint us in a crowd or in the wild, but it also dulled down the

remaining residual scents quite a bit, no matter what form we were

in. As a werewolf, I’d smell like a watered-down wolf to these guys,

so chances were the wolves caught on to our scents, but because

we were so vastly different, they didn’t know who it belonged to. So

they continued to head closer without knowing this land was already

claimed, and now they wanted to take it from us.

Fortunately, Hailey and I knew the signs to look out for, so it

was almost like we could hear their thoughts just by looking at

them.
 The five wolves had created a giant circle around us, and

Hailey and I were trapped in the center of it. The wolves lowered

their furry heads, bared their sharp teeth, and allowed low growls to
vibrate from their throats. They were trying to intimidate us, but

they had to do more than that to scare me.

In the wild, the wolves would have started a chase in order to

get their opponents away, and it may have resulted in a physical

confrontation. But this was no regular encounter, and they weren’t

up against other wild wolves.

They were up against the Alpha.

I knew if I tried to fight back, or stand my ground, then the

wolves would attack. I couldn’t have them run off and potentially

cause more damage for the rest of my pack, so I had to end things
there and then.

I stretched out my front legs and raised my head to show the

wolves I meant business, and then I allowed a menacing howl to

dance into the air. It was a warning for the wolves, but it was also to
inform the werecats and any other members of my pack who were

in the vicinity.
 We’ll aim for the wolves directly in front of us, I informed
Hailey as I eyed up my prey. Pretend this is Theo Finch right in front

of you. Think about what you’d do to him if you had the chance, and
then let your anger do all the talking.

You got it, Alpha, she replied with a bit more confidence than
before. These bastards will soon regret ever walking through those
trees.

That’s my girl. I grinned.

Then, on the count of three, Hailey and I charged forward,

and we connected with our chosen victims just as the wolves started
to realize what was going on.

The wolves barked and growled as I hooked my teeth into my

opponent’s neck, and then I rolled him onto his back just as a
second wolf’s claws gouged across my shoulders.

I felt the piercing pain that rippled through my muscles, but it

was nothing compared to the fiery-hot sensation whenever I was up

against another shifter. We were stronger than the average beast, so

a bite like this was like the difference between burning the tip of my
finger, compared to having third-degree burns all over my entire
Another random document with
no related content on Scribd:
 »Ei käräjille, mutta käräjätaloon — se on tilava ja siellä kyllä
saamme asua ilmaiseksi, kunnes olemme hankkineet jotain
parempaa.»

»Oi, Jumalan kiitos, sinä et siis lähde pois luotani?»

»Sitä kyllä varon! Minulla ei ole halua eikä varaa elää niin
kutsuttua toverielämää. Päivän työn päätyttyä on minulle
kaksinkerroin suloista saada nauttia sinun huolenpidostasi. Ja kun
minä makaan sohvalla — siitä en kuitenkaan luovu — niin
juttelemme tulevaisuussuunnitelmastamme, tai sinä laulat
hämärissä, kuten sinun nyt on tapana, yksinkertaisesti ja
koruttomasti, pienen laulun kitaran säestyksellä.»

»Mutta tuomari — salliiko hän…»

»Ooh, hän on hyvä ystäväni ja setäni. Sitäpaitsi kirjoitan hänelle

asiasta edeltäkäsin. Ja ole rauhassa: se seikka ei kohtaa mitään
esteitä!»
XIX.

VIKTORINEN KIRJE ÄIDILLEEN.

»Rakastettu äiti!

Kuinka paljon minulla nyt onkaan kertomista — oi, hyvä äitini,

oikein
äärettömän paljon!

Ja kuinka äiti tulee tuntemaan itsensä onnelliseksi… Lähinnä

itseäni
kaiketi äidin sydän nauttii enin ilostamme.

Mutta ennen kaikkea pyydän anteeksi, etten ole kirjoittanut niin

pitkään aikaan muuta kuin lyhyen kirjeen tulostamme käräjätaloon!

Nyt alamme siis siitä, missä lopetin viimeistä edellisessä,

Blombosta
kirjoittamassani.

Muistaako äiti missä kohti se loppui… Niin, siinä, kun kerroin

Wilhelmin ja minun suuresta neuvottelusta, veisimmekö ainoan
omaisuutemme — lukuunottamatta huonekaluja — lehmän ja
porsaan mukanamme R… staby'hyn tai möisimmekö ne.

Tämä merkillinen neuvottelu päättyi siten, että kun olimme

melkolailla rahantarpeessa, möimme nuo molemmat oivalliset
apuneuvomme.

Se kyllä koski minuun aika paljonkin; mutta ajattelin, että jos

Jumalan tahto on, että vielä saan jotakin omaisuutta maailmassa,
niin löytyy kai useampia lehmiä ja pikku porsaita, jotka voin saada
omikseni.

On helppo löytää lohdutusaiheita, kun niin pitkän pimeyden

jälkeen
kaikki muuttuu ruusunpunaiseksi!

Wilhelm oli koko ajan mitä parhaimmalla tuulella, ja me leikimme

aivan
kuin lapset, kun pakkasimme pientä omaisuuttamme.

Vihdoinkin lähdimme matkalle.

Tuomari E. oli mielellään suostunut siihen että saimme

haltuumme kaksi
huonetta. Käräjätalo on jotenkin iso.

Koko matkalla en voinut olla ajattelematta kuinka ihmeellistä

mahtaisi
olla asuminen käräjätalossa.

Voin kernaasti myöntää äidille, että kesken iloa olin jotenkin arka
tai oikeammin pimeänarka suurenmustan ullakon takia, joka erotti
huoneemme rappusista.
 Wilhelm oli hyvin tarkkaan kuvaillut kaiken tämän, mutta samalla
vakuuttanut, ettei minulla olisi mitään pelättävää, erittäinkin jos
pysyisin sisällä, kunnes hän tulisi ylös.

Kun parhaillaan puhelimme tästä, olimme perillä.

Mutta huu, kuinka pimeältä ja kauhealta kolkkona syysiltana

näyttikään tuo harmaa talo, joka minusta muistutti linnaa!

Mutta tulin heti rohkeammaksi kun Wilhelm vei minut erään

vanhan kunnon leskirouvan luo, joka asuu siellä ja pitää ruokaa
käräjähenkilökunnalle.

Tuo hyväluontoinen ihminen — aivan kuin toinen Ulla täti —

huolehti minusta ja vakuutti minulle hymyillen, että vaikka joskus
olikin vähän pelottavaa, niin kuitenkin voi käräjätalossa asua yhtä
hyvin kuin missä muualla tahansa.

Hyvän takkavalkean ja hauskan illallisen ääressä katosivat

viimeisetkin huoleni.

Ja seuraavana aamupäivänä, kun tavaramme saapuivat, sain

niin paljon tehtävää uuden kotimme järjestämisessä, etten ennen
pimeän tuloa edes muistanutkaan, että juoksin edestakaisin
mustalla »kummitusullakolla», kuten ajatuksissani sitä sanoin.

Mutta silloin rupesinkin äkkiä kauheasti pelkäämään, sillä —

voiko äiti uskoa — juuri kun olin avannut erään ullakkokomeron,
johon mielestäni sopi asettaa tyhjät matkalaukkumme, sain nähdä
koko joukon hirveän kauheita tavaroita… voiko äiti arvata mitä —
niin, käsirautoja, jalkarautoja, köysiä ja paljon muuta!
 Ja minä olin silloin niin lapsellinen, että huusin kaikin voimin — ja
luulen varmasti että olisin pyörtynyt, jollei Wilhelm olisi tullut juosten
ja melkein kantanut minua pieniin somiin huoneisiimme.

Ja Wilhelm sytytti heti tulen ja lohdutti minua, osoittaen sellaista

hyvyyttä, etten suuressa arkamaisuudessani olisi sitä ollenkaan
ansainnut.

Mutta nyt hyvästi huomiseen, rakastettu äiti! Lopussa saa äiti

nähdä kuinka paljon minulla on tekemistä.

Kuinka Jumala onkaan hyvä, kuinka hyvä hän on ollut…

ä
i
d
i
n
o
m
a
l
l
e
V
i
k
t
o
r
i
n
 e
l
l
e
.
»

(Jatkoa.)

Nyt olen taas kirjoituspöydän ääressä puhellakseni äidin kanssa!

Käräjät oli kuuluutettu seuraavaksi päiväksi, ja silloin tulivat

tuomari ja hänen herransa.

Nyt tunsin itseni taas araksi.

Sehän ei ollutkaan ihmeellistä!

Mutta äiti ei voi uskoa miten sanomattoman hyväntahtoinen ja

ystävällinen tuo vanha herra on — aivankuin olisimme aina
tunteneet toisemme — ja kuinka isällisesti hän pyysi minulta joskus
saada tulla ylös »pikku rouvan» luo juomaan kupin teetä päivän
väsyttävän työn loputtua.

Vastasin ehkä vähän kömpelösti, sillä olin melkolailla hämilläni

kun minun piti esiintyä niin… niin… äiti ymmärtää.

Mutta yleensä suoriuduin varmaan auttavasti, sillä tuomari

hymyili ja arveli, että meistä kyllä tulisi maailman parhaat ystävät, ja
Wilhelm hymyili ja katseli minua kauniisti, kuten hän nyt niin usein
tekee.

Oi, niitä aurinkoisia katseita!

 Jos äiti voisi kuvitella mielessään, kuinka muuttunut Wilhelm nyt
on — ja niin hänkin sanoo minusta! Minä luulenkin, että hän
tarkoittaa totta.

Niin, paljon on muuttunut onneksemme, ajatelkaa, jollemme olisi

tulleet köyhiksi! Vielä kerran:— tuhat kertaa minä toistan: Kuinka
Jumala onkaan armollinen!

Ole hyvä, rakastettu äiti, älä pahastu että puhun köyhyydestä,

kuten
voi näyttää, näin ymmärtämättömästi — mutta minä tiedän hyvin
mitä
tarkoitan.

Nyt palaamme toiseen asiaan.

Pahimmin pelästyin ensimäisenä oikeudenkäyntipäivänä.

Wilhelm, joka piti pöytäkirjaa, viipyi myöhään illalla tulematta ylös.

En ollut nähnyt yhtään ihmistä, sittenkun Wilhelm

käräjävirkakunnan palattua kirkosta kävi minua katsomassa,
tuoden vähän aamiaista.

Kuinka tämä päivä oli tuskallinen ja pitkä!

Niin kauan kun ullakolle tuli vähän päivänvaloa, uskalsin joskus

pistää pääni ulos. Niin, joskus rohkenin ottaa muutaman
askeleenkin oven ulkopuolelle, mutta olin kohta iloinen saadessani
vetäytyä takaisin, sillä nyt ei tuo salaperäinen komero ollut kaikkein
pahin.
 Toisinaan kuulin julmaa hälinää porstuasta ja kovaa, karkeaa
puhetta.
Sitten tuli haudan hiljaisuus.

Mutta juuri kun tämä haudan hiljaisuus vallitsi, kuului muutamia

sydäntäsärkeviä huutoja, niin vihlovia, että selvästi kuulin niiden
tulevan epätoivoisesta sydämestä.

Hyvä Jumala, kuinka kauheaa tämä kaikki oli!

Tiesin, että kahta nuorta naista oli syytetty, toista

lapsenmurhasta, toista siitä että oli myrkyttänyt sulhasensa, jota
hän oli pitänyt uskottomana.

Huu, huu, minä tutisin ja palelin tuskasta, säälistä ja pelosta! Nuo

molemmat kalpeat naiset, veitsi tai myrkky kädessä, seurasivat
minua vaikka mihin olisin kääntänyt silmäni.

Ja sitten — mitä tapahtui, kun tahdoin ottaa tulen…

Vähäpätöinen seikka muuten, mutta nyt paljon merkitsevä.

Ei yksikään tulitikku syttynyt.

Sain siis jäädä pimeään — sillä en olisi mitenkään uskaltanut

mennä ulos, vaikka henkeni olisi ollut kysymyksessä.

Kävin nyt sohvalle makaamaan.

Mutta minä vapisin niin kovasti, etten edes uskaltanut toivoa

muutaman hetken unta.

Rauhoittaakseni itseäni jollain tavoin kysyin itseltäni tahtoisinko,

huolimatta avioliittoni kaikista vaihteluista, palata takaisin siihen
aikaan, jolloin minua pidettiin rikkaana ja kun ikävissäni ja
tyhmyydessäni — sillä minä olin tyhmä siihen aikaan — saatoin
kuluttaa päiväkauden pukemiseeni ja välillä laulaa aarioita, jotka
eivät sopineet äänelleni eikä laulutaidolleni.

Mutta tähän kysymykseen, jonka todellakin tein sieluni

sisimmässä, vastasi sydämeni kovasti ja selvästi: en! Ja tästä tulin
niin ihmeellisen turvalliseksi, että saatoin verrata asemaani
muutamien vanhojen tuttavieni asemaan — rouvien, jotka ehkä
juuri tällä hetkellä valmistautuivat oopperaan tai illallisille; ja kun en
taaskaan tahtonut vaihtaa, täytyi minun siis myöskin olla
tyytyväinen nykyiseen asemaani.

Ja kuinka tulinkaan palkituksi, kun vihdoin viimein kuulin

Wilhelmin
askeleet ullakolta!

Hän tuli kiivaasti, melkein juosten, hän, joka muutoin kävelee niin
hitaasti.

Varmaan oli hän ollut levoton minun tähteni — sen kuulin hänen
äänestäänkin, kun hän avasi oven:

»Herra Jumala, pikku Viktorine, oletko sinä pimeässä!»

En voinut vastata, mutta hypähdin ylös ja kiiruhdin heittäytymään

hänen syliinsä.

En tiedä mitä varten en ole koskaan tehnyt sitä niin kiihkeästi tai
sellaisilla tunteilla. Suoraan sanoen: en ole ennen koskaan tehnyt
sitä, sillä ujostelen vielä häntä ja tahdon mieluummin, että hän
hyväilee minua.
 »Enkeli raukkani», sanoi hän silloin, »pääsit ajoissa kyllä
naimisiin!» ja painoi minua lujasti vasten sydäntään ja suuteli minua
niin lämpimästi, niin lämpimästi, että olisin tahtonut kuolla ilosta.

Kerroin mitä olin kärsinyt ja mitä olin ajatellut lohduttaakseni

itseäni.

»Ja sait lohdutusta?» kysyi hän. »Et tahtoisi vaihtaa rauhatonta

kohtaloasi kenenkään kanssa?»

»En kenenkään!»

Hän ei vastannut minulle. Mutta siitä hetkestä tuntuu kuin

välillämme olisi vieläkin jalompi tunne.

Minä luulen, niin — rohkenen melkein uskoa, että hän alkaa

rakastaa minua siten, kuin rakastetaan sitä, jonka on valinnut
omasta tahdostaan.

Mutta minä en saa pysähtyä joka seikkaan, sillä silloin ei kirjeeni

koskaan tule valmiiksi.

Taaskin täytyy pysähtyä.

Enemmän huomenna.

(Vieläkin jatkoa.)

Tuomari piti sanansa.

Hän tuli melkein joka ilta juomaan teetä meidän luoksemme, ja

minä tulin yhä vapaammaksi sekä häntä että niitä nuoria herroja
kohtaan, joita hän väliin toi mukanaan.
 Myöskin pelättyyn kummitusullakkoon totuin vähitellen…

Mutta nyt saat kuulla jotain, mistä meillä on ollut erittäin suurta
hyötyä: iloisimman uutiseni, lähinnä kaikkein iloisinta, jota äsken
koskettelin.

Eräänä päivänä, kun Wilhelm istui ylhäällä kotonani — onko

kauniimpaa sanaa olemassa kuin koti — ja kirjoitti puhtaaksi, tunsi
hän itsensä niin väsyneeksi, tottumaton kun oli työhön, että sanoi
minulle:

»Rakas Viktorine, minun täytyy säästää huonoja silmiäni ja

heittäytyä tunniksi sohvalle; mutta jos nukun, niin herätä minut
varmasti sitten!»

Hän nukkui melkein heti.

Sillä aikaa istuin minä ja mietin, kuinka Wilhelm joskus saisi

lepohetken. Hänelle, joka ennen lepäsi niin paljon, olisi se varmasti
tarpeen — ja hänen silmilleenkin, vaikka hän monta kertaa on
sanonut minulle, ettei niillä nyt enää ole mitään vaaraa.

No niin, kun istuin siinä ja mietin sinne ja tänne, katselin tarkkaan

pöytäkirjaa.

Ajattelin, että käsialaani oli aina kiitetty, että Wilhelmin ei juuri

ollut voittamaton…. ja lyhyesti: suomatta itselleni aikaa ajatella
enempää aloin kirjoittaa puhtaaksi erästä sivua.

Eihän voinut käydä pahemmin kuin että se hylättäisiin. Mielestäni

onnistuin kuitenkin hyvin ja venytin käsialaani niin sievästi kuin
konsanaan mikään kirjuri.
 Ennenkun tiesinkään oli minulla kolme kokonaista arkkia valmiina.

Silloin heräsi Wilhelm itsestään. Kuinka hän hämmästyi

nähdessään
minun työskentelevän käräjätehtävissä!

»Mitä tämä merkitsee — oletko sinä, rakas lapsi, kirjoittanut

tämän…
Niin, todellakin: kukaan muu ei ole voinut sitä tehdä.»

»Kelpaako se? Voinko auttaa sinua joskus? kysyin sydämeni

sykkiessä
ilosta.

»Kyllä, sen uskon hyvin — sinähän kirjoitat kymmentä kertaa

paremmin kuin minä!» Ja hänen silmänsä loistivat ilosta. Mitä sitten
minun tekivät! Tuomari sai nähdä mestarinäytteeni ja vakuutti, että
hän oli suuresti sen avun tarpeessa, minkä voin antaa.

»Kunniani kautta», sanoi hän nauraen, »eikö ollut onni minulle,

että tässä kiireessä sain neljännen kirjurin ja vielä
kaunokirjoittajan!»

Minä olin ylpeä ja ihastunut, pikemmin sanoen kopea, sillä nyt

minäkin ansaitsisin rahaa; ja tulin, kuten äiti kyllä käsittää,
tavattoman ahkeraksi, voidakseni sitäpaitsi auttaa Wilhelmiä, kun
hän lepäsi.

Päivää ennen tuomionlunastusta — äiti kuulee, että tunnen kaikki

sanatavat, mitkä kuuluvat virkaamme — tuli tuomari ylös ja sanoi
minulle, että hän toivoi että tahtoisin »muun käräjävirkakunnan»
seurassa tulla Elmstarydiin; se on sen paikan nimi, jossa tuomari
asuu. Wilhelmin olisi aivan välttämättä saavuttava. Ja hän lisäsi,
että tulisimme olemaan hänen rakkaina vierainaan vähintään kolme
viikkoa.

Ja tämä matka — kuinka hauska!

Niin, nyt meillä on toisellainen elämä kuin Tidanäsissä, kun

minun piti olla ja alistua ja…

Hyi ei, nyt olin sanomaisillani jotain hyvin häijyä!

Anoppini tarkoitti kyllä hyvää, vaikka hän ei voinut kärsiä minua,

sitten kun olin tullut köyhäksi; ja Ulla tätikin oli lähinnä Wilhelmiä
lohdutuksenani.

Puhuttaessa Ulla tädistä, niin kirjoittaa hän joskus mitä

rohkaisevimpia kirjeitä. Mutta hän, vaikka onkin varakas, ei
kuitenkaan koskaan lähetä meille mitään.

Olen arvannut, ettei hän anna Wilhelmille rahakannatusta siitä

syystä, että hän pelkää, ettei Wilhelm silloin käyttäisi omia
voimiaan…

Mutta nyt on aika sanoa äidille viimeinen uutiseni, se nimittäin,

että tämä pitkä kirje kirjoitetaan juuri Elmstarydissä, jossa Wilhelm
ja minä asumme mitä somimmissa vierashuoneissa, ja pidetään
meitä täällä kuin talon lapsina.

Tuomarin rouva on niin hellä ja suopea minulle, etten tiedä

kuinka osoittaisin kiitollisuuttani; ja molemmat nuoret tyttäret pitävät
minua sisarenaan.

Toden totta — nyt kaikkein viimeisin uutiseni:

 Huomenna lähdemme vierailulle Tidanäsiin

Wilhelmin vanhempien luo. Se on tuomarin hyväksymä ja

päättämä
Wilhelmin esitys, ja tuomari antaa hevosensa.

Hyvä rakastettu äitini, nykyään olen niin onnellinen, että minulla

on
vain yksi toivomus… sanon äidille mikä.

On niin hauskaa sanoa äidille kaikki.

Aivan Elmstarydin vieressä on pieni ihastuttava maatila, jonka

nimi on Lövby, se on rakennettu niin sievästi, etten koskaan voi
kyllikseni katsella sitä, erittäin sen pieniä, nukkekaappimaisia
sivurakennuksia.

Kas siellä me viihtyisimme — ja mikä onni sitten olisi asua niin

lähellä tuomarilaisia!

Jollen sitten enää saisi seurata Wilhelmiä käräjille, niin olisi

minulla ainakin ilo odottaa häntä suloisessa kodissa.

Mutta nämä ovat vain haaveita, ja ne ovat sitäkin

tarpeettomampia, kun
meillä nykyään on niin hyvä olo, niin, tuhat kertaa enemmän kuin
hyvä!

Tässä onnessamme on vain yksi vika: että se on muuttelevaa ja

että
Wilhelm ja minä olemme kaksi muuttolintua, jotka etsimme suojaa
milloin mistäkin, kunnes olemme saaneet kokoon oman pienen
pesämme.
 Ja nyt hyvästi, rakastettu äiti!

Jumalan kiitos, että äiti tulee toimeen, vaikka ei olekaan liikoja!

Voi todellakin elää paljon vähemmällä kuin mitä ennen luulimme.

Mutta kaikkein enimmän iloitsen siitä seikasta, että äidin

mielenlaatu
nyt on rauhallisempi.

Odottakaamme: kerran vielä tulee oikea auringonpaistekin —

silloin
tulee äiti luoksemme.

Äidin hellästi kuuliainen

Viktorine.
XX.

VIERAILU.

Syksy ja talvi oli kulunut, ja vielä asui nuori notaario vaimoineen

käräjätalossa.

Jouluna olivat he viettäneet neljätoista päivää vanhempien luona.

Ja johtuiko se siitä, että he nyt vain olivat »kylässä», että he olivat

hankkineet itselleen kunnioitusta työnsä kautta tai sen takia että
Viktorinen »uusi tila» taas vaati jonkunlaista huomiota — joka
tapauksessa ei anoppi enää lähettänyt häntä sinne eikä tänne. Mutta
hän ei kuitenkaan voinut pidättäytyä huomauttamasta kaikenlaisilla
pienillä pistopuheilla, ettei hän ollut erittäin ihastunut poikansa
naimiskauppaan.

Ainainen valitus oli:

»Hän olisi voinut tehdä jonkun paremmankin kaupan!»

»Sitä en koskaan usko, että hän olisi voinut», vastasi Ulla täti, »jos
on ollut kysymyksessä vaimo, joka sopii hänelle».
 Ja juuri samaa ajatteli Wilhelmkin.

Sotakamreeri ei ajatellut mitään.

Hänen ylpeydenhenkensä oli alituisesti kuohuksissa, sillä yhä

läheni aika, jolloin hänen piti jättää ruhtinaallinen Tidanäs. Ja hänen
keinotteluhenkensä oli yhtä toimelias, voidakseen täyttää aukkoja,
joita tämä mullistus jo oli tehnyt hänen maineeseensa.

Onnellisempi kuin vanhempain kodissa oli nuori pari tuomarin

luona, mihin he sittemmin matkustivat; mutta kaikkein
onnellisimmiksi tunsivat he kuitenkin itsensä niukkuudesssaan
kotonansa, jossa he — sillä vähällä, joka voitiin saada heidän
yhteisillä työansioillaan, sillä Viktorine oli reipas puhtaaksikirjoittaja
— valmistivat toisilleen milloin yhden milloin toisen viattoman
yllätyksen.

Kunnollisen talouskaluston puutteessa olivat he täysihoidossa

käräjärouvan luona. Ja niin hyvin oli tulot ja menot laskettu, etteivät
he koko talvena joutuneet pulaan.

Joskus saattoi Viktorine pitää vielä »pidotkin», se merkitsee, että

hän itse valmisti mitä oivallisimman päivällisen uunissa, tavallisesti
sunnuntaina, jolloin mandariinikupin kokoinen vanukas ja kaikkein
rakkain, hyvin silavoitu ja paistettu metsäkana komeilivat toisiaan
vastapäätä pöydällä.

Kun nyt tämän lisäksi tuli puolipulloa viiniä ja lautasellinen

Tidanäsin parhaita omenia, niin voi olla vakuutettu, että nämä kaksi
ihmistä lämpöisessä, hyvin varustetussa kamarissaan olivat kylliksi
onnellisia unohtamaan, että heillä ennen oli aivan toisenlaisia
toiveita.
 Kuta enemmän myrskysi ja räiski ulkona, sitä lähemmin liittyivät he
toisiinsa, ja Wilhelm ihastuikin todella pian siinä määrin »ikävään
vaimoonsa», että hänellä tuskin oli ajatustakaan, joka ei liittynyt
häneen.

Viktorine, varmana menestyksestään, tulikin yhä iloisemmaksi,

suloisemmaksi ja turvallisemmaksi. Rakkaus opetti hänelle
hienompaa veikistelyä.

Hän alkoi vähitellen ymmärtää makuaistin salaisuuksia eikä

laiminlyönyt pitää huolta puvustaan, vaikka toisella tavalla kuin
ennen.

*****

Mutta, kuten sanottu, talvi oli nyt loppunut ja kevään tullen alkoi
tulla vakavia huolia — sillä kohta olisi heitä kolme.

Viktorinen ei silloin pitänyt ainoastaan luopua suuresta osasta

työaikaansa, vaan hänellä piti myöskin olla palvelija, ja sitäpaitsi
Jumala tiesi kuinka paljon muuta kaikenlaista.

»Älä ole levoton siitä, rakkaani», sanoi Wilhelm eräänä aamuna,

kun Viktorine puoleksi tukahdutetulla huokauksella viittasi kaikkeen
tähän, »älä ole levoton! Minä en enää lankea vanhaan intohimooni ja
kun ei silmilläni ole oikeastaan mitään vaaraa, niin saat nähdä, että
tulen kaksinkerroin työteliäämmäksi nyt, kun tarvitaan.»

»Mutta sitä juuri pelkään. Tähän asti olen auttanut sinua ja

olemme tarvinneet sen kaikki. Tästä lähin… Jouduin aivan
epätoivoon, kun eilen kysyin rouvalta tuolla alhaalla kuinka kauan
minun piti olla sairaana, ja hän vastasi, että ainakin siihen vähintään
menee kuukausi… Ajattele, kallis Wilhelm, kokonainen kuukausi
ilman työtä!»

»Ohoh, pikku vaimoni, voimme pitää itseämme hyvin onnellisina,

jos sinä sen ajan kuluttua olet täysin parantunut! Mutta mitä työhön
tulee, niin ei kannata ajatellakaan sitä ainakaan kolmeen
kuukauteen.»

»Silloin», vastasi Viktorine, puoliksi nauraen ja itkien, »on paras

että… että….ei koskaan enää tule sairaaksi — se maksaa aivan liian
paljon!»

»Entä sitten onni saada nähdä olento, joka niin kokonaan kuuluu
meille?»

»Ai niin, sehän on totta — sen täytyy olla sanomaton onni!»

»Mutta varmaa on», jatkoi mies, »että opetamme poikamme tai

tyttäremme — kumman Jumala meille antaa — lapsuudesta
tekemään työtä ja luottamaan itseensä, sillä työ ja oma huolenpito
on kuitenkin kaiken pysyvän onnen perustus.»

»Oi, kuinka oikein puhut! Meillä on huolia ollessamme köyhiä,

mutta me olemme onnellisia, sillä huolet ovat saattaneet meidät
tuntemaan sekä toisemme että itsemme. Kuvitellun rikkautemme
aikana sitävastoin…»

»Älä Jumalan nimessä mainitse siitä sanaakaan — kaikki mitä jo

olemme kestäneet on ollut tuhat kertaa parempaa… Mutta katso,
Viktorine… tänne ikkunaan… Kuka tulee tuolla?»

»Oi hyvä Jumala, kuinka hauskaa — itse Ulla täti!»

 Ja Ulla täti se olikin omassa korkeassa persoonassaan.

*****

Kun nyt sotakamreerin herrasväki oli muuttanut suuresta

Tidanäsistä seitsemän penikulmaa sieltä sijaitsevaan Fågelvikiin —
jossa sotakamreeri, jolla aina oli suunnitelmia, aikoi perustaa
hevossiittolan ja pari tehdasta — tuli Ulla täti, kuten hän sanoi,
nuorten ystäviensä kanssa neuvottelemaan uudesta asunnosta.

»Kun me vain asuisimme jossain muualla», vastasi Viktorine

epäröiden.

»Niin nyt», vastasi Wilhelm hyvin ymmärrettävällä salaviittauksella,

»olisi Ulla täti aivan korvaamaton sinulle! Mutta valitettavasti on koko
huoneistomme tässä näin.»

»Paitsi että niin paljon muuta puuttuu!» myönsi Viktorine syvästi

huoaten. »Mutta sen, mitä puuttuu», lisäsi hän taas hymyillen, »ei
pidä estää meitä nauttimasta sitä hyvää mitä meillä on: kupillista
kahvia ja kauniita tulevaisuudentoiveita.»

»Tunnustan, lapset», vastasi Ulla täti, »että minun ajatukseni ovat

kauan pyrkineet samaan suuntaan kuin teidän nyt lausumanne; ja
neuvotellaksemme tästä asiasta erään henkilön kanssa, joka voi olla
meille molemminpuoliseksi hyödyksi, niin istukaamme, niinpian kun
olen saanut maistaa Viktorinen lupaamaa kahvia, minun vaunuihini
ja lähtekäämme Elmstarydiin!»

»Onko täti jo sitten puhunut tuomarin kanssa?»

»Olen kyllä, ja meitä odotetaan päivälliselle.»