Never Goodbye, A Werewolf Romance - (Book 1-The Mist Series)

Chapter 1 Grey Eyes *** *** Louise I really hate doctors...! That statement should have been my life’s mantra. And hate was an understating word for how I felt. I really, really hate doctors! Yawning in a way that was mixed with a forlorn sigh, I dropped unenthusiastically onto a plastic chair furthest away from the other patients in Doctor Anderson’s small waiting room. I puffed out a skipped breath and tucked my ear-length blonde hair behind my ears. Above me, the aging florescent lights flicked to life, sporadically casting a dull yellow glow over the sterile white walls and illuminating everyone who had braved the early morning chill. In the far corner, a young, petite, fair-haired mother and her identical infant son knelt on the grey-carpeted floor, playing with a set of wooden toys. At the clinic’s admin desk, a tall, muscular man with a mane of thick brown hair stood with his back to us. He bellowed a hearty laugh, making the young female receptionist giggle, and her striking blue eyes glow. These patients were unbelievably gorgeous because they were werewolves—just like me. We all lived under the rule of our Alpha, George Black, and his Luna, Ruth. Our pack, The Mist Clan, was far from small. Not all werewolves knew each other, but we were all connected by our creator – the Moon Goddess. We werewolves came of age at eighteen when our wolf counterpart—the wolf soul we were given at birth—came to fruition. From that moment, we became powerful and tough and healed supernaturally fast. Even before that, we hardly ever, if at all, got sick – That’s all werewolves but me. None of them had what I had. Shifting uncomfortably against the seat, fighting a sudden bout of nausea, I peered over at my mother - May Carpenter, a tall, slender woman with long blonde hair a shade darker than mine, as she came over and perched in the chair across from me. “Well, Louise,” she said, dropping her handbag on the floor beside her. “We got here in time.” “Yay...” I sang sarcastically, twisting the corner of my navy-chequered school dress through my fingers. When that didn’t soothe me, I reached for the zip on my matching school blazer and began to twist that. “I hate coming here… it’s never good…” “Stop fidgeting with your zip!” Mum scolded, her deep cocoa-brown eyes piercing through me. “You’ll break it!” “Seriously, Mum…” I sighed, sagging deeper into the chair. “I’m a sickly, sixteen-year-old Omega about to be told something life-changing... And I’m tired.” I rubbed my nose, irritated by the scent of the eucalyptus sanitiser in the air. “What more do you expect from me?” “That’s still no excuse...” She replied sharply. “Worrying about my health is a decent excuse!” I argued, crossing my arms and narrowing my gaze on her. She exhaled, and her eyes softened. “You’re right, Louise, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap.” She propped her elbows against her knees. “I’m worried about you. And Doctor Anderson, our pack doctor, is the only person I trust with this!” “I know... I’ve heard this speech before!” I huffed. Heat flushed my cheeks. The nausea was getting stronger. My chest tightened. I closed my eyes and fought it back. Since I was fourteen, I had been visiting Doc Anderson due to severe period pain, which was unusual for our kind. We only had periods once every six months after coming of age, a stage referred to as “coming into heat,” and I was five years too young for that. After almost a year of invasive tests, I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer – a diagnosis never recorded in werewolf history. And that’s why I was here. After eighteen drawn-out months of chemotherapy, severe nausea, hair, and weight loss, I was finally about to learn my fate. I rubbed my hands over my face and opened my eyes, sniffling back tears. “I don’t know if I can do this...” “I know you’re scared, sweetheart,” she soothed, reaching over and taking my hands. She caressed the back of my hands with her thumbs. “We’re doing this for you…” The doctor’s office door creaked open. It’s almost time! Dropping Mum’s hold, I slid back against the seat. Bile rose in my throat. My heart did a backflip. I closed my eyes again. I’ve got this… “I don’t want to see you back here any time soon!” Doc Anderson called out in his soothing voice. “No promises, Doc,” replied a deep voice that shivered down my spine. It reached deep inside me and made my stomach clench. “Besides, It was–” His voice cut off. The room fell silent. I took a deep breath and caught a hint of ocean breeze that made my heart race. My eyes snapped open to see a young man standing before me. His jet-black eyes, shadowed by waves of dark-brown hair, focused on my face. His left arm was wrapped in a thick bandage, and a narrow row of stitches crossed his left eyebrow. “You…” He snarled through clenched teeth. “Me…?” I replied, sitting bolt upright. Heat prickled at the back of my neck, and that hold on my stomach tightened. He inched closer, emitting a growl from deep within his chest – a wolf’s growl. Whoever he was was old enough to have his wolf. “Yes… You!” The air in the room grew tense. Warmth spread through my body. He bared his wolf fangs, and my heart raced. Is he trying to intimidate me? I balled my hands into fists, glaring defiantly back at him. “What about me?” A grin hugged the corner of his lips as his growls settled, relaxing the muscles along his sculpted jawline. Slowly, his wolf-black eyes transformed into a mesmerising dusty silver. He continued to stare at me, his nostrils flaring. “Can’t you speak?” I demanded, raising an eyebrow at him, my stomach doing summersaults. “Louise Jane Carpenter!” Mum spluttered. She rushed to my side and grasped my shoulder, digging her nails into my blazer. “That’s the Alpha’s son, Joseph…!” Alpha’s son? “J-Joseph Black!” My eyes widened. My insides turned to jelly. I had just broken a hierarchy rule for Omegas like me – Respect our leaders and their heirs... “S-sorry,” I stammered as dryness invaded my mouth. “I didn’t realise…” “Is that so...” He leaned in closer and whispered so only I could hear. “How old are you?” “Sixteen,” I replied impulsively, unable to stop myself. The depth of his voice sent chills through my entire body, drawing out my words against my will. “Seventeen next month – On the nineteenth… Why?” He growled in response, making my throat tighten and my irritation swell. Against my better judgment, I leaned towards him, closing the gap enough to feel his breath. Mum’s grip on my shoulder tightened. “You didn’t answer my question…” “Sorry, Alpha Joseph,” Mum blurted nervously. Claws replaced her nails as she pulled me back into my seat. Pain radiated from my shoulder – her wolf Jewel meant business. “Sometimes her mouth runs, and her mind can’t keep up.” “I can see that…” With a smirk that creased the corner of his lips, he nodded at her and stood back. “I must admit, I’m surprised…” Releasing my shoulder, Mum shook her claws off, and half bowed back at him. “Sorry again, Alpha…” Thanks, Mum! I internally rolled my eyes, ignoring the pain in my shoulder. Joseph faced me, sending fire through my chest. What was he doing to me? Was it the Alpha aura, or was it just me? “I’ll see you around…” He sniffed the air, then scrunched up his mouth in a grimace. “Hopefully, by then, you’ll smell... right.” “Smell... right?” I almost screamed, losing all my senses. His words drove a hot knife through my chest. Could he smell the cancer? “I have never been insulted like that!” I jumped up and stood before him, ignoring all the warning bells in my head. He towered over my tiny frame, but I didn’t care at that moment. “I don’t care if you are the son of our Alpha. You have no right to speak to me like that!” “Louise!” Mum gasped, covering her mouth with a trembling hand. “Hmm…” He grinned sideways at me, a spark of light flickering in his silver eyes. “You’re feisty for something so tiny, Omega…” “Excuse me?” I glared back at him, my mouth agape. With a wink, he turned on his heels and headed for the exit. “What is that supposed to mean?” Jerk! I called after him, ignoring all the eyes on me and that warning voice in the back of my mind. At the clinic door, Joseph glanced at me once more. “You’re different…” “Different?” I huffed, crossing my arms. “I’ll see you around, Louise…” With another smirk, he left the waiting room. I watched in utter confusion as the door closed behind him. I don’t understand what just happened…