Werewolf Academy Year Three - Jayme Morse Page 0,56

when I just tried to have fun for once, even for a brief time, he was always there. No matter how safe I may have thought I was, he wasn’t about to let me forget that he was watching.

He was always watching.

To say that werewolves knew how to throw wedding receptions better than humans did would have been an understatement. The wedding reception was quickly in full swing, and soon enough, the entire Darken pack was drunk—myself included.

“Y-you wanna d-dance, Raven?” Rhys asked, his voice slurring a little.

“S-sure.” Honestly, I would have done anything to get away from the table at that moment. The thick tension between Theo and me hung heavy in the air.

Rhys reached over and grabbed my hand and then led me out onto the dance floor, which Julie and Vince had been glued to since he’d popped the question.

“Congratulations, you guys,” I told them.

“Yeah, congrats,” Rhys added with a slur.

At that moment, “Thinking Out Loud” by Ed Sheeran began to play.

I wrapped my arms around Rhys’s neck as his arms fell to the small of my back.

I stared up into his eyes as we swayed to the music.

“Have I told you how beautiful you look tonight?” Rhys asked.

“You may have mentioned that a time… or ten,” I replied with a giggle. Since he’d gotten drunk, he’d actually told me every ten minutes how beautiful I was.

“Well, let me tell you one more time how beautiful you are. You’re the most beautiful girl in this backyard.” His blue eyes locked on mine. “Shit, to me, you’re the most beautiful girl in the entire world.”

“Thanks, Rhys.” I smiled up at him. It was, by far, the sweetest thing anyone had ever said to me.

“I mean it, Raven. Just one look into your gorgeous eyes makes me feel like sunshine from the inside out. No one has ever made me happier.”

“You make me happy, too,” I replied with a smile.

He pulled me closer and I rested my head against his chest as we continued to dance to the music.

“I want you to know that even if you don’t choose me, I’ll always cherish the time we spent together,” he said once the song ended.

“Rhys—” I started to say, but he interrupted me.

“I mean that, Raven. Even if I only get a short time with you, it will be worth it all in the end.”

Before I had the chance to respond to him, he brought his lips down on mine.

His kiss was soft and slow, yet riddled with passion at the same time.

Most of all, it was perfect.

When he pulled away from me, he pressed his forehead against mine.

“I love you, Raven Gallagher.”

“I love you, too, Rhys Anderson.”

We just stared into each other’s eyes for the longest time.

I was just about to kiss him again when I saw that his eyes had grown really wide as he stared at something over my shoulder.

I looked over my shoulder to see what was going on, and that was when I saw them.

Four guys who I had never seen before in my life, but I could tell from a distance what they were. Their ivory skin, which was fairer than any human I had ever seen, was a dead giveaway.

Vampires.

“The Winston Coven,” Rhys whispered.

Chapter 21

I felt my entire body tremble as I watched the coven of vampires move forward.

The Winston Coven had waged war on the werewolves during the ancient times. Now that they knew I was alive, they wanted me.

As the first-born biological werewolf, they felt I was “capable of many evils,” and believed I was better off dead. They wanted to kill me… but not until after they had access to my blood. They had offered my pack three million dollars in exchange for me, but they made it clear that they would stop at nothing until I was dead.

So, it was no surprise that I was completely overwhelmed now that they were here, just hundreds of feet away from me.

Rhys pulled me into a protective embrace. I felt safe with him.

I felt even safer when Colton came to stand at my side.

“Darken, may we have a word with you?” One of the guys—a tall, lanky guy with bleach blonde hair—called out.

Theo was the first to approach them. The rest of us followed after him. We stood close enough to listen in on what he was about to say, while also maintaining a safe distance.

“Gentlemen, what can we do for you?” Theo asked.

“Cut the shit. You know exactly what we want.