Chapter 1: Once Upon a Time

HarlowPOV

When I was a little girl I had a fascination for all things make believe. Princesses, frog princes, fairy godmothers, pixies, giants, you name it I probably went through an obsessive phase for it. I used dress up in this bright pink dress up gown my mom bought me and run around the house and neighborhood bopping my friends on the head with my "magic wand". In my sugar highed little brain I truly believed in fairy tales and happily ever after's, even as I matured there was some part of me that still clinged for that small childish delusion.

The last year had been a nightmare, and all wishes and hopes of that princess ending all were crushed. Through the war, the fear, the loss, the heartache I truly thought that everything that I had ever wanted, would never happen. Of course it could have been me being dramatic, still though, when everything that you ever loved gets put in danger, you truly feel as though the whole world has turned against you. It was as if the evil queen had passed around her poisoned apples, and everything around me was falling into a death like sleep. Everyone except me it seemed. My world turned into blurred hours of the day, everything was bleak, if I ever needed a fairy godmother, it would have been during that time.

No fairy godmother came to the rescue, no prince charming, just one little magical girl with bright eyes and a smile that could melt my heart. It's hard to believe that it was Kinsley who turned my mood around. Suddenly I had a reason to live, to keep fighting and never want to give up. That little girl made me realize that just because there was evil in the world, it didn't mean I couldn't have my happily ever after. So as months passed, my baby grew, her mumbling became clumsily crippled words, and she grew stronger every day. Not a day goes by that I regret having my daughter, she's the magic in my story, and I wouldn't trade that for the world.

Marriage, a family, is a hard task to handle, let alone when you are at such a young age. I was barely about to turn nineteen and already I was tied down and a mother. Of course I found nothing wrong with this. I loved my Brady, he was no prince charming, but every little bit of him I loved. From his wide smile, callused hands, and booming laughter. From the way his eyes crinkled at the corners when he smiled, the way he looked so calm and at peace when he played with his little girl. Brady was a hot mess, words spilled out of his mouth faster than they did out of mine. Together we were one giant messy explosion, our house the evidence in this clutter. But we created a family, a disorganized chaotic family, but a family that loved one another with such undying love that it didn't matter about age. In those two people I had my fairy tale, and nothing would take that away from me.

This year had been a struggle; Brady had barely started at his new job and was making the bare minimum. I worked at the small local café and assisted the theater. But even with help from my mom and dad we could barely pay the bills. We were lucky if there was enough food in the fridge every week, our electricity had been turned off multiple times, and Kinsley had just gotten over the stomach flu. Brady's little house became a mad place, dishes littered the kitchen, there were clothes and trash scattered everywhere. In short, if someone with OCD ever came to my house, they would have a heart attack and die. My life was nowhere near perfect, but in the end it was my life and I loved every second of it.

"You should really think about hiring someone to clean your house for you," Neveah commented from where she leaning against the kitchen counter, eating grapes.

I pushed an escaped piece of hair back into place before throwing her a snide look, "Oh yeah? And pay them with what? Monopoly money?"

Neveah smiled as she helped put the dishes away, "I'm just kidding Har, you don't have to be so dramatic."

"That's just who I am baby," I threw my best friend a wink before attempting to make some sense of my kitchen table. It literally looked as though a paper/food monster had puked all over it. "Don't you have somewhere else to be, like, um I don't know, anywhere but bugging me?"

"Nope," she smirked before scooping Kinsley into her arms, "You want me here, huh Kins?"

Kinsley responded in her usual manner, by shrieking as loudly as possible and throwing her arms around Neveah.

"See? She wants me to stay," Veah smiled as she handed Kins a grape.

I ignored the two terrors, taking a dramatic sweep at the paper filled table, every scrap going into the trash can. "Huh, I actually forgot what this table looked like."

"Baby, where's the remote?" Brady asked as he waltzed into the room, taking a handful of grapes and kissing our daughter on the head, causing her to go wild.

"Hell if I know," I muttered sitting down exhausted.

"Probably in the black hole you call your couch," Neveah suggested as Kinsley ran from her and into the living room.

"Shut up!" I snapped, reaching out to smack her on the arm.

"Violence, nice," Brady laughed as he left, "Let me know if there's any bloodshed."

Neveah and I sat in silence as I flipped through a magazine and she doodled on the corner of a napkin. My best friend had gone through such a dramatic change that it was hard to believe she was even the same person. Neveah had always been shy and quiet, afraid to trust or even socialize with new people. She lived in her own world of beautiful paintings and drawings, only letting a few of us in. And then along came Embry Call, he turned her world upside down and made Neveah see just how amazing and wonderful she was. Her confidence grew, her shyness slowly melting away. But this new strength she carried around with her was only because of Nakai. As much as I hate him, as much as I loathe what he did to her, I had to admit that he had done some good for her. Neveah no longer gave in to whatever people wanted her to do, she fought for her opinions and for what she wanted. My Neveah was strong, and through her growth and change, she had become someone who I truly admired and loved.

"When does school start?" I asked offhand, scratching at a perfume sample, only to have my eyes water from the rank scent.

"Monday," she pouted, "it's not going to be the same."

"And why is that?" I inquired, finally looking up.

"Well for one you're not going to be there," Neveah sighed, "eh, I'll live somehow."

"Neveah Rose that's hurtful!" I couldn't help but join in with her laughter. "I'm sure you'll do fine. This year, and then you're a senior, just be patient. Plus you have Embry and the guys there with you, so it shouldn't be a big deal."

She said nothing, instead choosing to look down and add a few more scratches to her drawing. Sighing, Neveah stood, tucking her phone into her back pocket, "Yeah, you're right. Thanks Har. I have to go though; my mom wants me home for a family dinner."

The added eye roll to her sentence gave me all the indication of the kind of horror she was about to be faced with. "Good luck doll face! Call me later with all the good arguments that are bound to spew!"

"Oh believe me, I will," Neveah smirked before leaving.

"And finally you're all mine!" Brady proclaimed as I fell onto the couch with him.

"I live with you, I see your face a lot," I raised an eyebrow as he gave me a sarcastic look.

"Not the point," he muttered forcing me to lie down and wrapping an arm around me.

I snuggled closer, inhaling the amazing woodsy scent Brady carried with him. "I love you."

"Me too kitten," he whispered, burying his face in my hair.

EmbryPOV

My life has never been perfect. Family was never a constant for me. Dad was AWOL and my mom was so busy in her own life that she hardly even remembered I was her son. I preferred it that way though; I had the pack and Veah for that. Sure, what I called a life was not considered "normal" to anyone but myself. I could phase into a wolf, considered a pack of shape shifters my brothers, and had fallen in love with a fortune teller. Not normal by any standards. But it was my life. I loved the moments I had with my brothers, from the fighting and inside jokes. The pack was my home away from home, I was never turned away and I knew that if I ever needed something, they would be there for me. Neveah on the other hand was a completely different world. She was still a mystery, always keeping me on my toes with her thoughts, and even her changing moods. One moment she could be hyper and loud, and the next she was stoic and barely made a sound. But she was the love of my life.

It may sound immature to say something like that at only eighteen, but it was the truth. Neveah Rose Caden was my imprint, and every day I fell more in love with her. Not a day goes by that I don't need to see her. Her face, her name, even the way she smelled lingered on me. If she was a drug, then I was hopelessly addicted.

"And then I knocked the pitcher on him," Neveah smiled happily. She was perched on my couch wrapped in the blue fleece blanket from my bed. Her wild wavy hair was pulled back loosely at the base of her neck.

I busted out laughing as she reenacted the look that he stepfather must have had. "Neveah Caden! That was a little harsh!"

"He shouldn't have disconnected my phone service then," Veah stated smirking.

A couple of hours ago I had gotten a text from Harlow telling me to go pick up Veah before her and John, Neveah's step parent, came to blows. The story according to Neveah was that her mom wasn't able to make it to dinner, so it was just going to be her and John. Well Neveah and John had never gotten along, there had been repeated arguments and heated battles, but Neveah never said anything to her mother, no matter how many times I told her she should. During the dinner John had announced that he was going to cancel her cell phone service. The reason in doing so was because Neveah had disobeyed him and hung up a wet canvas in the living room where it filled the house with the reek of paint. Neveah's house has always smelled of paint, charcoal, and clay, but John had been trying to defeat the scent and had come to the decision that Neveah wasn't allowed to paint in the house anymore. So Neveah did exactly what he didn't want. So when John told her about the wet canvas, she asked where it was. It was in the trash. After that it turned to a screaming match, ending in Neveah knocking a pitcher of ice tea on her step father and storming up to her room.

"Could you believe him though?" Neveah snapped, huffing loudly, "where does he come off telling me that he's going to turn my service off and then trashing my painting? Do you know how long that picture took?"

I couldn't help but laugh at her dramatics, "Calm down love," pulling Veah to me I pushed my arms through the blanket and wrapped them around her waist, nuzzling her neck and inhaling jasmine and lavender. "He doesn't have a right to do any of that. And by no means should he be able to make those decisions. Your mom is the one who pays for your phone, so it should be up to her. And I'm sure the painting took you a long time, but if you really wanted, I know you could redo it, and it would be even more amazing then the first. And you need to tell your mom, you guys are starting to get violent."

Neveah said nothing for a long time, instead she turned so she was sitting between my legs, leaning back and playing with my fingers that we clutched together. The light from the TV was the only light source in the room, and it made her eyes look like sapphire blue fire. "Nothing is going to happen," her reply was barely a whisper as she closed her eyes and went back to her original spot.

I felt suddenly cold from the absence of the warmth that Neveah had radiated. "You're the one who told me that he threw a vase at the wall last week when you two were fighting."

"That's different though," Neveah snapped running a hand through her hair, causing it to all fall out. She stretched her pajama clad legs out, her toes barely touching my leg.

Reaching out I ran my hand up to her knee, squeezing it. "My point is, first it was a vase, but next time it could be you. You may be willing to bet against something like that, but I'm not. Especially after last year."

I didn't need to explain anything more as the room became silent again. Reaching out I turned the television off, causing us to be incased in darkness, only for it to grow less dim from the moonlight. We sat like that in the dark, neither of us saying a word; my thumb drew circles along Neveah's knee as she looked out the window.

"I know," she whispered.

"Just promise me if things start getting worse, you'll at least let me know."

"You'll be the first."

We said no more, falling quiet again. Silence with Neveah was never awkward or uncomfortable. When I had first met and started dating her, Neveah had been quiet, but I had learned that her silence spoke words that failed her. From the way she would play with her fingers, I knew there was something important she needed to tell me. When she bit her lip, I knew she was nervous. When her eyes sparkled, I knew she had thought of something funny, but thought the timing was inappropriate. When she pulled her hair back into a loose bun, I always knew that she was about to escape into her world of drawing. And when her eyes would dull over and lose focus, I knew she was seeing things she wished she had not.

It had been months since Neveah had a vision. The last she had walked calmly into Sam's, and told Emily and Sam congratulations. When she received their confused looks she paused and said 'Oh, you don't know yet?' Turns out Emily was pregnant again. You would think her sudden lack of visions would be terrifying, as though something was causing her to not have them. In reality though, it was like a breath of fresh air. No visions meant nothing dramatic happening. And Neveah's visions were either happy or monumental, or of death and destruction.

I smirked as Neveah jumped, the sudden clap of thunder ringing through the house. "Have I ever told you how amazing you look in my shirt?"

Neveah laughed, "Once or twice actually."

"Mmmm," I pushed myself forward, laying over Neveah and holding her prisoner under me, "You're kinda irresistible."

I could feel Neveah smile from how close our faces were, "Am I now?" her breath was a sweet caress against my face.

"Irresistibly addicting," I muttered before capturing her lips.

"Better get your fix then," Neveah whispered as I ran my lips down her neck.

"With pleasure," I kissed her hungrily again, throwing the blanket to the floor.

The sweetest addiction that had ever been created.

There you go guys, the first chapter. Things are going to start a little slow, just so that we can see how the characters adjust to "normal" life. Don't worry, the drama will happen soon though, so don't worry. I hope you guys liked it :)

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