Beau: Chase Me Not

1

GEORGIA

Legs waving wildly. Arms rowing wildly through

the water. A body that nevertheless sank into the

depths without anything being done about it. The

pressure that rose. breath escaping. A cry for help

made only of air bubbles. That's what death felt

like - even if you didn't experience it first hand. He

changed us in many ways. He was there in one fell

swoop, without warning. No one could have been

prepared for this moment. There was no guide

telling you what to do in such situations. It just

happened. And there was nothing you could do

about it.

That was the world we lived in. A perpetual cycle

of life and death, as Arya would call it. And we all

had to deal with it, no matter what scars it left.

But what if we could have prevented it? What if we

could have turned fate differently, but didn't?

I breathed in the fresh, cool autumn air and

enjoyed the light breeze that blew through my

night-black hair as I walked through the dense

undergrowth of the coniferous forest. Twigs

crackled under my pretty, high-heeled booties,

branches brushed my body and the soft hoot of an

owl filled the night. All of this reminded me that I

was no longer underground, hidden deep in the

dark cells of the underworld.

My heart clenched at the memory. No, the tight

bonds of my former imprisonment in the deep

dungeons of Hades' underworld were broken and

the fate of my life lay in my hands for the first

time. Never again would anyone humiliate me so

badly, break me so badly. I had sworn that promise

to myself the moment Zaira freed me and all the

other healer werewolves from the Underworld

three solar orbits ago. And I did everything I could

to keep that promise. I only wish she had come two

laps earlier. Then this terrible night might have

gone differently. just maybe. The loud bass was the first clue that let me know

that Isaac's late grandfather's cabin was nearby. It

was the perfect place to host late-night parties like

this, for it was on the edge of the Moonwater

packing compound, right on a loophole from the

hour-long patrols, and thus mostly secret from the

watchful eyes of the werewolf soldiers. And I

turned out to be right, because only a few minutes

later I spotted the big stone house with the pretty

little porch.

I adjusted my black tight dress and retouched my

red lipstick before climbing the porch steps. I had

only come across the miracle of make-up at the

last solar orbit, when the prom of the then newly

recruited soldiers was taking place, and since then

I had never wanted to do without it. I loved it. The

many variations on how I could make my face

look, how I could play with it. It was just fun for

me, as well as dressing nicely. My hands clutched

the fabric as I thought of how dark and gloomy it

had been in the caves of the underworld. How cold

and gray; nothing had radiated life. Nothing had brought me joy, everything was just monotonous,

desolate and promised undisguised pain. I closed

my eyes and squeezed them tight to keep the

demons at bay. I wasn't that girl anymore,

periodically rocking back and forth in fear and

loneliness, withdrawn to the farthest corner of my

cell. No, my life looked different now. Full of

colors - full of possibilities. Full oflife .

The door jerked open and I was abruptly

catapulted back into the here and now. I blinked.

"Georgie! I was wondering when you were coming!’

With a bright smile and sky-blue skirt flapping,

Blair ran over to me and gave me a big hug,

spilling the drink in her hand.

All gloomy thoughts vanished in one fell swoop

and I laughed and hugged her back. Blair was

adorable. Bright blue eyes, a small snub nose and a

funny, sweet character whose quick wit was

mostly hidden behind modest clothing. Her heart

was pure gold, perfectly good. She was the first to come up to me after I was accepted into the

Moonwater pack and gave me a warm hug,

determined to be my best friend.

'I came as quickly as I could. Had an extra training

session with Arya. I told her laughing as I hugged

her back. Blair squeezed me tight, then pulled away from

me. She rolled her eyes, but the smile stayed on her

lips - she just knew how much I loved the hours

with Arya. "Just training in your head, what am I

supposed to do with you?"

"Maybe give me one of those drinks, too?" Because

I smelled Blair's little flag and noticed her slightly

clumsy footsteps as well. Grinning, I hooked my

arm into hers and we ran up the stairs together.

My sweet friend was in the same daily soldier

training group as [ was that all senior Gamma

Werewolves were required to attend. The only

difference was that she actually had the scent of a

higher rank in the Gamma order, while I was more

of a subservient Gamma wolf female, much lower

in the pack rank than she. Nonetheless, I was in

her class. Allowing me into senior year had been a

delicate decision, and more than one of the beta

officers had objected to disregarding the pack's

wolf hierarchy,

So the fact that I didn't want to stick to my rank was a thorn in the side of some. A werewolf in

particular . A small growl escaped me as

remembered how Beau had refused to let me train.

And that without knowing how much Hades had

really broken me. If he ever knew how deeply

Hades had damaged me, he would never let me

fight.

My stomach clenched. Beau would never know my

secret, I would see to that. Besides, I made a

promise to myself that night. And I would do

anything not to break it. Even if that meant

rebelling against hierarchy and a certain

werewolf.

I wagged my eyebrows. "You know I'm always up

for a joke."

Now she was grinning too. Oh yeah, we've thrown

a lot of parties like this and had a lot of fun. And

we got off scot-free every time. "Is correct. Man,

you wouldn't believe how much Heather and

Kaylee have been drinking. Before I smelled you,

they were dancing on the counter.”

I laughed. Heather and Kaylee were unbeatable in

their art of getting as close as possible as quickly

as possible while doing the most legendary things

- so fun was inevitable. Then, with a conspiratorial

sideways glance, I asked her, "Is Tiam there yet?"

Her cheeks immediately turned red and she bit her

lip. "Its possible."

My mouth twisted into a mischievous grin. tiam .

Young Gamma Soldier, scenting a future Beta; the

absolute heartthrob so. Also, lately he had his eye

on my somewhat shy, kind-hearted friend Blair,

who he was very fond of. I'd catch her accidentally

glancing over at him during our practice sessions

just as the boys were taking their shirts off when

they were too hot. I wagged my eyebrows. "Well, if

that's the case, let's get the bottle rolling."

"Oh no! No more spin the bottle. Blair objected, raising his hand, stopping me from opening the

door with a shake of his head. She looked at me

meaningfully. "Besides, Isaac is here, too." It was

her turn to grin. "He's already asked about you."

I chuckled and rolled my eyes, smiling. "Oh come

on, how many times more Blair. Isaac and I are just

friends

"Aaaaaaaah" She drew out the word and her grin

widened as if she wouldn't buy that fact for a

minute. "Georgie, come on, Isaac's into you!"

I sighed because yes, Blair was right. I wasn't blind

or dumb as a kid, I knew Isaac was interested in

me. But Isaac was just ... well Isaac . My friend,

who I could trust implicitly, was always nice to me

and, along with Blair, was the first person to take

me under his wing to introduce me to pack life.

But even if I liked him, really liked, wasn't there

anymore. There was no tingling when he looked at

me, there were no butterflies that flew wildly

when he touched me, when his lips touched mine. I felt comfortable around him, yes he was sweet and

funny and would never hurt me. But we would also

never become more than good friends who

occasionally had something to do with each other.

‘Why don't you want to try it with him? Who

knows, Blair shrugged, 'he might be the one. After

all, you will soon make 18 solar orbits. Isaac may

well turn out to be your mate.”

"Hmm..." I doubted that. How could Isaac be my

mate if I didn't feel anything for him? He didn't

dress me up, not like anyone else. As if I needed

nothing more than himthinking, my heart beat a

beat faster. Oh no, my feelings for Isaac were mere

breath compared to that one werewolf. Those

midnight green eyes, that clenched jaw and that

deep, husky voice that always had a hint of anger

in it. A certain beta wolf who wouldn't let anyone

get too close, and yet I'd peeked behind the angry

mask before and seen a softer side of him for a

whiff of a second. I wanted to break this wall in

two. I wanted to see if there was more; more of this man hiding behind his icy layer. Find out more

about this wolf who didn't let me forget for a

minute that he didn't think I was a soldier. Blair was already reaching for the doorknob when

I cut her off. "Who is here?"

"Just our pack, like always," she assured me. "Isaac

and Tiam sent the invitations under secret, as

usual."

I nodded and calmed myself down. No one outside

of my pack would see me, everything was normal —

so don't panic Georgie . My red-painted fingernails

flashed as I gripped the doorknob. "Then let's go

inside."

Cheers, laughter and loud music greeted us as

soon as we entered the large stone house. There

was dancing, cups and goblets with

strong-smelling liquid passed around and I would

say that the majority of my pack mates were

already hail-proof.

Blair was leading me through the tightly packed

and dancing crowd as I smiled and hugged

everyone who greeted me when an arm suddenly wrapped around me.

"Hey, Georgie." Isaac pulled me to his side and

handed me a mug. "Here for you."

“Thank you." I accepted the drink and smiled over

the rim at him as I took a sip. I closed my eyes in

relish as the alcohol left a warm trail in my throat.

Isaacs winked at me and pulled me a little closer.

"Always, my dear."

I laughed at the stupid nickname as he steered me

and Blair across the room to our regular couch.

‘Well, truth, deed or drink. Blair asked loudly over

the music when we were all seated.

"It's truth, action, or risk , sweetie," corrected Tiam

teasingly. As casual as ever, he sat in the armchair

and, like all four of us, held one of those mugs that

was filled with some strong alcoholic beverage.

His brown hair stood up in all directions, which

didn't detract from his good looks in the least. He didn't detract from his good looks in the least. He

was the Casanova of our year, as was Isaac, who

shared the couch with me.

Blair, sitting across from me and Isaac, rolled her

eyes and tossed her pretty strawberry blonde hair

over her shoulders. “I take truth. Who's asking me

what?’

Isaac, who had taken a long gulp of his drink,

laughed. "Come on, not again! You always take

truth.”

I crossed my legs and playfully nudged Isaac in the

side. "Oh, and now that's a crime, isn't it?"

"No it is not. I'm going to ask her a question,” Tiam

said, and then leaned forward, closer to her, with a

wicked smile. "Tell me, sweet Blair, what is it that

you desire most?" One corner of his mouth lifted a

little more. "Or who ?"

You'd have to be color blind not to see the dark

discoloration on my friend's cheeks, but she discoloration on my friend's cheeks, but she

managed to keep her eyes on him and faced him

boldly. "Well, that I'll be on the list tomorrow, of

course."

As if by pressing a button, my stomach knotted

and a nervous tingling buzzed through my body.

The list . All four of us were in the same year,

trained together in the same group and tomorrow

would get along who would be admitted to the

final examination from our year. Calmly, Tiam leaned back in the chair while my

feet swayed restlessly back and forth. ‘We'll all be

into it anyway. Why worry needlessly?’

"Of course," agreed Isaac Tiam calmly, toasting us

all loudly with his mug.

I returned the gesture, but my throat was tight. I

didn't miss Blair's sensitive look, which she gave

me briefly. She knew exactly how much I dreaded

tomorrow. Of course Tiam, Blair and Isaac would

be admitted to the senior year, after all they were

three of the best of the year. But to say that it

affected me as well would be an absolute lie. I

wasn't the best in our year by far. While I'd made a

lot of progress in the last three orbits of the sun

here in the Moonwater Pack, and I'd gotten better

every day I spent with Arya, I was still miles

behind all the Moonwater werewolves who'd been

at nothing since childhood other than running

and hunting in open country. In comparison, if

you only knew your own four cell walls, there was

alot to catch up on. So no, I wasn'tlogical on the

list. Still, I wouldn't give up—this one terrible night couldn't be allowed to happen again. No

more.

"Oh, that's my favorite song!" Blair exclaimed,

snapping me out of my thoughts. Swaying and full

of vigour, she stood up and staggered slightly,

causing Tiam to almost jump up and support her.

With a satisfied expression, he said, "Well then,

let's shake a leg."

Blair, looking like she'd had a drink or two too

many and looked slightly flushed as she leaned

into Tiam to let him lead me onto the dance floor.

Isaac, not noticing my tension, dropped his arm

onto my shoulders and rubbed my bare upper arm

up and down. With a lazy smile, he leaned closer to

me and whispered, "Here we are alone again."

My red lips curled into a smile and I turned to face

him, our lips almost touching. "And what does that

mean?"

"Hm, I don't know..." He pressed his muscular

thigh against mine and his hazel eyes shone. "You

tell me, love."

A soft laugh escaped me and I shook my head. "I

don't know, Isaac..."

“Why?” His fingers trailed up my upper arm,

drawing little circles on my shoulder.

I hesitated. Isaac and I didn't always get along.

Most of the time we only shared more intimate

pleasures when we both had been drinking heavily

or felt a strong need to do so. But otherwise we

remained friends, especially when it came to the

public. I shook off his fingers but gave him a warm

look. "You know our deal."

He shrugged his shoulders. "We could change

that."

I almost choked on the drink as I sipped it. I looked

at him with wide eyes. "Isaac, I don't know what-"

“Who said we couldn't add some new rules. Or

abolish old ones,” he objected, his eyes never

leaving me.

I put my hand on his forearm to take the edge off

my next words as my heart pounded fast against

my chest. Isaac was my friend, I didn't want to

hurt him. "Listen, Isaac, we-" I stopped abruptly in

mid-sentence, scenting something. "Who...?"

Everything about Isaac tensed and he cursed. "Oh

damn!"

"Isaac, who's coming?" My pulse quickened as I

smelled the scent of strange packmates. "You said

only our pack would be here."

"I don't know." Isaac ran a hand through his hair,

stressed. "Wait, I'll take care of that."

He was about to get up when I tightened my grip

on his arm and held him back. My fingers dug into

his skin. "Isaac!" I eyed him intently and spoke

softly but clearly, unable to help the slight shrill

undertone in my voice. "No one can see me here."

His expression turned serious. "I know. That won't

happen either, I promise.” With that, he stood up

and was about to punch his way through the

crowd when the door slammed open.

The loud level that had prevailed in the hut fell

silent for a moment, until all my pack members

greeted the new arrivals with great joy and

welcomed them. They were girls from the adjacent

Riverfall pack.

Then the music was cranked up again and the

party easily got back into full swing. Everyone

seemed to think nothing of it, everyone except me.

Isaac turned to me with a contrite expression on

his face and looked concerned. “Sorry shit Georgie,

but I didn't know they were coming. Otherwise I

would have told you straight away!"

Oh, holy moon goddess . "Shit!" I jumped to my

feet, pushing my way through the crowd with my

head down.

"Wait, Georgie!" Isaac called after me, but I ignored

him. Ah, what a mess! Crap, crap, crap! I kept my

eyes down all the time, trying to maneuver my way

through the people as best I could, but I didn't

succeed too well. I was jostled, an elbow dug into

my left side and a goblet spilled down my back. But

none of that mattered to me as long as no one

looked into my eyes and saw the blunt truth held

in them. Otherwise I would betray my entire

family. again . The murky memories were already surfacing, and

with them the everlasting, painful feeling of guilt.

But I hastily slapped her aside, blinking away the

tears that were rising.

Everything would be fine. Not so bad, Georgie.

Calm down.

Taking a deep breath, I kept my focus on the floor

and pushed through all the sweaty bodies when I

heard her. Every single word of it. And all my

worries were wiped away in one fell swoop.

"Rate them from one to ten." It came from one of

the Riverfall girls.

"Oh my god, how is that even supposed to work?!

They all look so hot!” replied another.

“Man, I wish I was born in the Moonwater pack

too. Then I could look at these hot officers every

day. I just rolled my eyes at that answer as I kept trying

to make a way to the door.

“I swear to you, every time I see one of them at the

border, my mouth almost waters. Especially at

Hawkings.”

I frowned and growled at someone who spilled

another drink on me. Real Hawkings? Well, I had

to admit, the senior gamma officer who oversaw

the training of soldiers wasn't bad looking. But the

fact that all the girls in my group couldn't take

their amorous looks away from him and the drool

was almost running out of their mouths made

Hawkings completely unattractive to me.

"Sam!" one of the girls exclaimed.

"What, he's got an incredible body and he's funny

too!" defended the girl named Sam. “Well, who do

you find to bite? What about Beau?”

Without stopping my reaction, my head snapped

up and I stared at her through the crowd. Pretty

blond hair, a slim figure and a beautiful face. A

growl made its way up my throat.

"Oh Holy Mother Moon, that's like a ten!" She

fanned herself.

'He's handsome, but,’ Sam shook himself, 'T almost

pee my pants around him. One look from that and

I'd crawl away."

"She's right." The black-haired grimaced. “Beau

may be hot, but have you seen him before? His wolf

is almost always on the surface. He's far too

aggressive, in my opinion, I'd much prefer Xenos."

My hands clenched into fists, but maybe they

weren't so wrong after all. Beau was dark,

dangerous, and very irritable. It would be best if

you gave him a wide berth. Still, not a day went by

that I didn't remember it; to the night of the prom

of the last sun orbit. I'd been in the pack for one

sun orbit when I plucked up the courage to ask

him to take me to prom. Of course I knew I was

only seventeen and Beau much older - but that

hadn't stopped me. I might have been young, but I

was long past childhood and teenage years.

Growing up in a prison full of torture, one quickly

learns

That night Beau wasn't harsh, nor was he angry.

Almost gently he brushed a strand of my hair away

from my face and touched my cheek briefly -

before he disappeared into the forest. It was one of

those rare moments that I kept like treasures

inside.

"Just make sure you don't say that in front of Arya

or you'll run out of eyes," Blondie said.

1 blinked and turned back to the door, which I had

almost reached when it suddenly flew open with a

loud crash.

The conversations stopped immediately and

everyone stared at the three dark silhouettes in the

doorway.

"The party's over!" Hawkings yelled. "Now finally

turn off that damn music!"

It was like the whole room was holding its breath.

My heart was racing and blood was pounding in

my ears. Oh man, I was so done. Still with my head

down, I didn't move an inch. Now only prayer

would help. Praying I wouldn't be spotted and

could sneak away quietly.

But puff cake, that wish was shattered the moment

I heard a dark, angry growl that gave way to a

growl and froze. Oh no...

Slowly, very slowly, I lifted my head just enough to

look up and that's when I saw him. He stood there,

legs apart, his hands clenched into fists and his

expression twisted into an angry grimace. But that

wasn't what made my blood run cold. It was his

look. His piercing gaze, which was aimed directly

at me.

2

GEORGIA

That was not good. Not good at all. I watched the

forest floor so as not to stumble again - which

wasn't easy in heels - as Beau pulled me furiously

further and further into the pine forest with a firm

grip. He led me straight to the healer werewolf

camp, where I lived in a small stone house.

"Beau, slow down!" Even though I'd only had one

drink, I could feel the alcohol spreading through

my body, making it harder and harder to keep up

with it. In any other circumstance, I would have

done the hell to let Beau know, but as it was, I had

to focus all of my concentration on not falling flat

on his face before him and on getting even more

into the predicament I was in already was. Though

his grip wasn't quite as tight, I could feel his

unbridled anger. Head forward, he didn't look at

me once while his mouth remained sealed. I didn't