In the Southern Spring We Stopped Waiting
Piper Hayes · Completed · 6.4k Words
Introduction
A month ago, Mom was eight months pregnant. We were walking by the river when Dad's childhood friend Melody shoved her straight into the rushing current. The cold water took my unborn brother. When they pulled Mom out, she was covered in blood, her magic all but gone.
Dad, Maxwell, is the youngest Alpha of the Silver Wolf pack and runs a family conglomerate. That day in the hospital hallway, his eyes went red and he swore through gritted teeth that whoever did this would pay for it, hard, in front of the Tribunal.
Mom believed him.
Then came the trial. The second Dad saw that the woman sitting in the defendant's seat was Melody, he went quiet.
Right there in front of the judge, he took it back. He said Melody never meant to push her, that Mom's magic had gone haywire from the pregnancy and she'd slipped into the river on her own.
Melody walked free. Mom got community service.
The day we left the courthouse, Melody buried her face in Dad's chest and sobbed, but the second no one else could see, she shot Mom a cold little smirk. Dad kissed her forehead like her tears were breaking his heart.
Mom just watched them, one hand over her empty belly. Those eyes that used to be so full of love were calm now.
She let out a slow breath. "Maxwell, let's break the mate bond."
Chapter 1
Junie's POV
My name is Junie. I'm six years old, a half-werewolf. My mom Juliet is a human witch, the gentlest woman alive.
A month ago, Mom was eight months pregnant. We were walking by the river when Dad's childhood friend Melody shoved her straight into the rushing current. The cold water took my unborn brother. When they pulled Mom out, she was covered in blood, her magic all but gone.
Dad, Maxwell, is the youngest Alpha of the Silver Wolf pack and runs a family conglomerate. That day in the hospital hallway, his eyes went red and he swore through gritted teeth that whoever did this would pay for it, hard, in front of the Tribunal.
Mom believed him.
Then came the trial. The second Dad saw that the woman sitting in the defendant's seat was Melody, he went quiet.
Right there in front of the judge, he took it back. He said Melody never meant to push her, that Mom's magic had gone haywire from the pregnancy and she'd slipped into the river on her own.
Melody walked free. Mom got community service.
The day we left the courthouse, Melody buried her face in Dad's chest and sobbed, but the second no one else could see, she shot Mom a cold little smirk. Dad kissed her forehead like her tears were breaking his heart.
Mom just watched them, one hand over her empty belly. Those eyes that used to be so full of love were calm now.
She let out a slow breath. "Maxwell, let's break the mate bond."
Back at our penthouse downtown, the air feels ice-cold.
Mom sits on the couch, both hands over her flat stomach, tears falling without a sound. I press close against her, trying to warm her up.
"How long are you gonna keep this up?" Dad throws his coat over a chair, done with all of it. "You know how you looked in that courtroom today? Like you didn't have an ounce of class. You humiliated me."
Mom stares at him like she can't believe it, at the man who once swore he'd love her forever.
"Maxwell, you know the truth." Her voice shakes. "You know it was her..."
"Enough, Juliet." He cuts her off, frowning, every word an accusation. "Don't let your feelings do your thinking for you. Melody's had panic attacks since we were kids. Why are you so dead set on destroying her? I lost the baby too, but we don't get to pin it on someone innocent over one accident."
There's nothing but despair in Mom's eyes now. "Maxwell, our baby died. And you stood there and lied to a judge's face to cover for the person who did it?"
"I already told you, it was an accident!" His voice spikes, and the Alpha pressure rolls off him so hard I can't breathe. "Melody's barely holding herself together. She's even talked about ending it! Can't you be the bigger person for once? We can have another baby. But if you drag Melody into the Abyss Prison, that's you killing her."
"The bigger person?" Mom lets out a hollow laugh, tears sliding down her pale face. "So that's how it is, Maxwell. Our lives, mine and our son's, aren't worth as much to you as one of her tears."
That's when the doorbell rings.
Melody's face shows up on the entry screen, soft and pitiful, a carefully wrapped gift basket in her hand, her eyes rimmed red.
Dad goes straight over and opens the door.
"Maxwell... am I interrupting something?" She stands in the doorway, timid, looking at Mom. "Juliet, I'm so sorry. This is all my fault. If I hadn't lost control of my magic, none of this would've happened. I waited in line forever for this sleep potion. I just want to make it up to you, even a little."
She steps closer and reaches for Mom's hand.
"Don't touch me." Mom knocks her hand away, and the basket hits the floor and shatters.
Melody throws herself backward like she's been struck, landing right in the broken glass.
"That hurts!" She clutches her arm, blood already welling up, tears bursting out right on cue.
Anyone with eyes can see how bad the act is. Mom can barely stay on her feet — there's no force behind that swipe at all. And Melody's a werewolf, built tough. No way a light touch sends her sprawling like that.
But Dad sees it and lets out a pained growl.
"Melody!"
He whips around and shoves Mom, weak as she is, down onto the couch, his face full of disgust and fury.
"Juliet, have you lost your mind? She comes here to check on you and you put your hands on her?"
Mom slams into the arm of the couch and lets out a low sound of pain.
I break into tears and throw myself in front of her.
Dad doesn't even look at us. He sweeps Melody up into his arms, careful, gentle, like she's some priceless treasure.
Last Chapters
You Might Like 😍
The Devil’s Contract: Kiss Me Like A Lie
The air in the ballroom was suffocating, filled with the scent of expensive wine and predatory Alphas. I felt the familiar, terrifying burn start low in my stomach. My suppressants were failing. I am an Omega pretending to be a Beta, and my fiancé, Reign Montgomery, is a powerful Enigma who believes Omegas are nothing but weak whores.
I rushed to the restroom, locking myself in, praying the scent wouldn't leak. My hands shook as I dialed for help, but the door handle turned. Reign stood there. He didn't look at my face; he grabbed my wrist, pulling it to his nose, inhaling deeply. His dark, soulless eyes bore into mine. "You smell different," he whispered, his voice dangerously low. If he finds out what I really am, I’m dead.
Reign Montgomery promised himself he’d never get involved with an omega. Not romantically, not physically, not even by accident. He doesn’t trust them, doesn’t want them, and refuses to let anyone become a weakness.
Soren Fox has lived his whole life making sure no one ever learns what he truly is. An omega pretending to be a Beta, fighting in underground rings just to survive and keep his sister alive.
But one contract drags them into a dangerous partnership of lies, heat, and power, and when Soren is kidnapped, Reign realizes too late that the omega he never wanted has become the one person he can’t live without.
Taste of Fate: The Vampire King's Human Mate
He reached for the back of my head and pulled me up just enough to reach my neck. When his fangs slid into me, the pain was instant, electric. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t think. My hands found his shoulders, clawing for something to hold. My legs kicked. Tears streamed down my cheeks.
He moaned against my throat as he drank, and the sound was devastating.
My Perverse: You're mine, you son of a bitch
Vincenzo Valentini is a man who sees the world as a business counter and human beings as merchandise.
The owner of an empire built upon corpses and submission, he is the reflection of pure perversity.
When fate places Andrew Thompson, the son of his greatest rival, into his hands, the plan was simple: use him, break him, and discard him like a toy that has lost its appeal.
What Vincenzo did not expect was that, beneath the youthful skin and the appearance of innocence, Andrew hid the same abyss as he did.
Vincenzo never wanted redemption. He never wanted someone to save him from his own darkness. He was seeking a mirror. And in Andrew, he found the partner who, upon seeing his blood-stained hands, does not recoil in terror, but trembles with desire.
In this perverse game, the "little toy" proves to be the perfect executioner. The mafia leader found someone who not only accepts his cruel side but cultivates it, feeding the monster Vincenzo has always been.
Where there should have been fear, lust emerged. Where there should have been hatred, a perverse loyalty was born. Andrew Thompson is the dark reflection of Vincenzo, the soldier the underworld did not see coming, and the man who proved that, for some, paradise only makes sense if it is in the middle of chaos.
Vincenzo opened the doors to his empire, but Andrew was the only one capable of invading his heart.
They are not heroes. They are hell on earth.
The Vampire King's Feeder
Emory: I was born to be the Alpha of my pack, my father's first born daughter. But now... I am here, in the castle of our greatest enemy, the Vampire King. I should hate Kane Alexander, but the more time I spend with him, the more I long for him in ways I cannot understand. I am not here to be his lover, though. I am here to be his feeder. But even before his lips graze my skin the first time, I know I would give myself to him in every way imaginable if only he should ask. Kane: I long to taste the wolf shifter, but not her blood, her body... her essence. I want her in every way imaginable. But I'm already betrothed to marry another blood-born vampire, and if I call that off, I have resigned my kingdom to yet another war. There has to be a way to keep Emory Moonraker as my feeder but not claim her in my bed. I just haven't figured it out yet, and every time I look into her jade eyes, I forget everything and everyone but her. But I have enemies, and every moment she spends here in my home, Castle Graystone, she's in danger.
Tango with the Alpha's Heart
“He met her at the Alpha training camp,” he said. “She is a perfect suitor for him. It snowed last night, indicating that his wolf is happy with his choice.”
My heart sank, and tears made their way down my cheeks.
Alexander took my innocence last night, and now he is taking that thing in his office as his Luna.
Emily became the laughingstock of the pack on her 18th birthday and never expected the Alpha's son to be her mate.
After a night of passionate love, Emily finds out that her mate has taken a chosen mate. Heartbroken and humiliated, she disappears from the pack.
Now, five years later, Emily is a respected high-ranking warrior in King Alpha’s army.
When her best friend invites her to a night of music and laughter, she never expects to run into her mate.
Will her mate figure out it is her?
Will he chase after her, and most of all, will Emily be able to keep her secrets safe?
The Family Books 1-3 (A Mafia romance)
The saint to my sinner. with her innocent eyes and devilish curves.
A Madonna that was meant to be admired but never touched.
Until someone took that innocence from her.
She left.
The darkness in my heart was finally complete.
I avenged her, I killed for her, but she never came back.
Until I saw her again. An angel dancing around a pole for money.
She didn’t know I owned that club. She didn’t know I was watching.
This time I won’t let her escape.
I will make her back into the girl I knew.
Whether she likes it or not.
2/ Judge and Jury- I can’t stop watching her.
I’m not even sure I want to.
Taylor Lawson, blonde, beautiful, and totally oblivious to how much dangers she’s in.
She’s also the one juror in my upcoming murder trial that hasn’t been bought.
The one who can put me behind bars for a very long time.
I know I should execute her.
After all that’s what I do.
I am the Judge.
I eliminate threats to The Family.
And Taylor is a threat.
But I don’t want to kill her.
Possessing her, making her love me seems like a much better plan for this particular Juror.
3/ Rags and Ritches-
Where The Ice Gives Way
Blake Atlas scents his mate the moment Charlotte arrives. The bond hits hard and unmistakable, but Charlotte doesn’t recognise it. She doesn’t know why her chest keeps pulling toward the one boy she absolutely cannot afford to want. Blake is Charlie’s new hockey captain. Charlie’s chance at making something good. Charlie makes it clear; his sister is off-limits and Blake tries to do the right thing, but secrets don’t stay buried forever. Rogues prowl the edges of town. The ice cracks. The bond tightens. Then Charlotte’s rare white wolf awakens, the very thing that makes her powerful, also makes her a target.
Shanti needs Shakti. (Peace needs strength.)
Where the Ice Gives Way is a slow-burn YA paranormal romance filled with fated mates, protective alpha energy, fierce sibling loyalty, found family pack bonds, hurt/comfort, and quiet, aching tension. It’s a story about first belonging, learning to be cared for, and what happens when the girl who has always held everyone else up finally falls, and someone catches her.
The Rejected Luna’s Rise
Luna Ariana Volkstane slid the formal rejection request across the table. "Let's end this bond. It's better for you, me, and your first love."
He just smirked. "You want me to reject you? You think you can break our bond that easily?"
So she did. Ariana cut ties with him completely, poured herself into her career, and rose to global fame as a legendary healer, her knowledge of rare herbs, wolf anatomy, and ancient magic sought after across continents.
The powerful suitors lined up. The Alpha of an overseas empire whispered, "Ariana, hurry up and perform the severing ritual. I can't wait to claim you." A powerful pack leader vowed, "I'll be there with you the day you break the bond." A legendary wolf attorney promised, "I'll handle your rejection case with the pack council myself."
Ariana just rubbed her temples. It's not that she didn't want the split, she wanted it more than anything, it's just that the Alpha she was mated to refused to let go.
Finally, she announced, "Whoever can officially get me rejected, I'll put you at the head table of my bond-breaking celebration."
Not long after, Alpha Damian was served the official rejection request right in the middle of an emergency pack council meeting. That same afternoon, he was attacked by rogues at the gates of his own territory.
When Ariana showed up at the pack infirmary with healing herbs, she repeated calmly, "Let's sever the mate bond. It's better for you, me, and everyone else."
But the cold, untouchable Alpha pulled her into his arms, his eyes blood-red with fury. "You want me to reject you? Over my dead body."
Chosen By The Lycan King
One Weekend with the Billionaire
I open my mouth to respond, but all that comes out is a staggered breath and a small sigh. He chuckles, a low, rough rumble and then leans down and kisses the middle of my back.
I feel the tip of him again at my entryway. He pushes in slightly, and my body comes to life again. My muscles react to his presence, contracting and loosening, as if my body is trying to suck him deep inside.
He's my husband's boss, so this is supposed to be wrong.
So why does it feel so right?
Braxton Merriweather always gets what he wants. Now, he wants her--Julia Thompson, the wife of one of his workers. From the moment he first laid eyes on her, he knew he had to possess her in every way.
When Jeff Thompson takes him up on the bargain he proposes, Braxton is shocked. He's even more surprised when Mrs. Thompson agrees.
But now that he's had a taste of her, he wants more. How can he possess a woman who's already married to someone else?
Julia feels trapped by her marriage to her high school sweetheart. In the two years since they've been married, he's changed, and not for the better. When billionaire Braxton Merriweather shows interest in her, she's flattered. And intrigued. Is it possible that one of the richest men in the world could really want her?
And if so... what does she do about her husband?
One Weekend with the Billionaire is a sexy story for mature readers.
Legacy Of Dragons, Royal Dragons Book 2
Ria and the Balaur brothers never imagined how far their family would come.
After surviving betrayal, loss, and the lies that nearly destroyed everything they loved, they dedicated themselves to building a future. What began as a training facility for dragons soon grew into something far greater—a place where dragons and other species from around the world could learn, train, and thrive together.
Now the facility is flourishing. Their children have grown, many finding their own mates among dragons, shifters, and other species from distant lands. The family Ria fought so hard to protect has expanded beyond anything she once dreamed possible, bringing new friendships, new adventures, and a growing legacy of grandchildren.
As old secrets continue to surface, long-held beliefs about dragons and mixed-species bloodlines are being challenged. Truths buried for generations are finally coming to light, reshaping everything they thought they knew about their world.
Falling for My Boyfriend's Uncle
My boyfriend skipped our anniversary for her—the girl who called me a whore.
He left me walking home in the dark. When my apartment caught fire, he ignored my calls.
But his uncle showed up.
The one with the scarred knuckles and the cop badge. The one who looked at me like he wanted to burn the world down for me—or maybe burn me down instead.
Now, we live under the same roof. Three people. One bed too close.
Every time my boyfriend touches me, I flinch. Every time his uncle looks at me, I burn.
He's dangerous. He's forbidden. He's everything I shouldn't want.
Is he saving me... or does he just want to own me?
Some fires don't just burn. They consume.
