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Ryder's POV It's been two years since the day I felt her die. Two years since my world came crashing down. It felt like I had died with her that day. I know a large piece of myself did. I didn't know one was capable of crying so hard, that something could hurt so deeply, or that one could feel themselves dying inside. I did. I hated everything and everyone. I hated the world, and I hated the Goddess. I begged for her to return my angel to me, but she didn't. I begged, pleaded, and bartered, but it was pointless. It was as though she ignored me.The only reason I kept going, the only thing that gave me a reason to live, was the little redhead that looked just like her mother. From the porch, I can see my daughter lying next to her mother's grave. She's excited because she finally got her wings. At least, that's what she calls it. She had them from day one, but she wasn't able to summon them when she wanted. She didn't have control over her angel abilities yet. That all changed five
Ryder’s POV“Don't worry about it! He's stable. He might not be able to get out of bed, but he's strong enough to cop a feel on us,” Michael said, trying to reassure me, but it didn't help. I felt awful that I couldn't find her books yet. There's just so much stuff to go through. My brain is fuzzy, and I can't remember exactly where I put them.“Yeah, listen to Michael. He's okay. If Noah is stable enough to try to get laid, you have plenty of time. Don't stress; you just got here, and you have a lot of unpacking to do. Besides, there might be nothing in there about his condition. You'll be stressing yourself over nothing,” Asher said. I laughed and shook my head as I pictured that darn little Omega on death's door, still trying to get laid by his Alphas. It doesn't surprise me in the least bit to hear he's doing that.I waved to Asher as he left my apartment. I tried to ignore Michael, but I could feel his eyes boring holes in my skull. “Will you knock it off! I can feel your eyes o
Third Person's POV Maverick chuckled as the tall Alpha walked away. He brushed the front of his shirt off, trying to wipe her stupid floral scent off of his shirt. He didn't like the way it smelled. He hated flowers, and she reeked of them. You would have thought the little thing had been rolling around in a field full of flowers. He thought and shook his head. His attention was brought back to Coal when he yanked on his arm and jerked him forward.“Calm down, lover boy. You can't be jealous of that. They meant nothing to me,” Maverick said.Coal groaned and began mumbling curse words under his breath. The Beta has regretted many times that he saved this idiot's life. Today is one of them. “Do you always have to cause trouble when you cross someone's path? He's never going to let you out of jail if you can't get along with others. And what the hell was that? You practically ran her over!” Coal said in frustration. He felt like tugging his hair out. “It's not my fault she's so short!
Third Person's POV “Ha,” Maverick chuckled and rubbed his fingers over his mouth, a sign he was trying not to laugh. “What?” “Oh, nothing.”“Don't “nothing” me! What?” Coal said, his annoyance evident in his voice. “It's just, are you sure you want to make that move?”“Yes! What's wrong with it?” Coal said. The Beta scanned the chess board again, trying to figure out what he did wrong.Maverick chuckled and shook his head. “Just busting your chaps,” Maverick said. His smile fades as he scans the board. He rubs his fingers through his beard as he concentrates. His lips curl up on one side as he reaches forward. “Check!” Maverick said, and Coal scoffed.He moved his piece, and Maverick called check again.Coal's frustration is palpable as he moves his piece.“Run, Queen, run, I'm gonna get ya!” Maverick said before moving his piece and calling check again.The guard sitting at his desk shifted in his seat. He was ready to duck, waiting for Coal to get angry and chuck the board down
Third Person's POV When Coal enters his bedroom, he comes to a stop when he sees his mate lying on the bed. His beautiful little hybrid lies on his stomach with a white sheet draped over his ass. His knees are bent with his feet in the air, ankles crossed, and his toes wiggling as he reads his book. His long hair rests against his back and hangs over his shoulders. His cute little pointy elf ears poke out. He slowly turns the page and begins reading the next chapter. He doesn't get very far. His Alpha's eyes feast on his body as he stalks across the room. Nathan gasped when he felt his mate's warm, wet mouth lay an open kiss on his ankle. The book fell from his hands when Coal trailed his tongue along his calf. His eyes closed, and his head fell forward as Coal continued his trail of open-mouth kisses up the inside of his thigh, pushing them open as he climbed between them. Nathan's breaths come faster, and his heart pounds in his chest. The Alpha pulls the sheet from his body and
Ryder’s POVIt's quiet; it almost feels like I'm in her cottage, but I'm not. It doesn't smell like her. This place isn't decorated with her touch. I don't see her everywhere I look. Her garden isn't outside; nothing of her is here except the things of hers I brought with me. I look at them spread out in my office. I don't know how long I've been standing here looking at them. It feels like minutes, but I know it's been hours. My heart aches; everything in me screams to go back to where she is. I know she told me she was not there anymore, but to me, she is. She was the color on the walls, the flowers in the vases. She was the vegetables in her garden and the yellow shutters against the sage green house. She was everything and everywhere. I existed in her world. She was my world, but my world is now gone. How do I go on without her? I feel so lost. My purpose is almost gone. It was Angelica and Azalea. Angelica is gone, and Azalea will be 18 soon. Soon, she'll be gone as well, off liv
Ryder's POV The music is so loud I can barely hear myself think. The stench of perfume and sweat is so pungent it burns my nose. My body buzzes, and I swear I see two of everything. I don't know how I let Keith and Eric talk me into this. I hated the idea, but after downing a bottle of Scotch with these four goofs, going to a club in the human town didn't seem so bad. Now that I'm here, I regret it. “Come on, Ryder! The dance floor is packed with hot human women. Let loose and relax. Let yourself have a little fun,” Eric said as he tugged on my arm. He grabbed my face and turned my head, forcing me to look toward the dance floor. When he did, I saw the other two fools—one with a long-haired brunette and the other with his tongue down a man's throat. “Look, there's two hot blondes giving us the look. Let's go,” He said, looking at me as he pleaded. “I'm going to order another drink. Go drag Keith out there, and I'll be there in a little bit.” I said before picking up my empty glas
Ryder's POV I feel like shit as I try to wake up and pry my eyes open. When I finally opened my eyes, it felt like sandpaper was in them, scraping against my eyes. My head is throbbing, my muscles ache, and my neck is killing me. For a brief moment, I saw two of everything. My vision slowly clears, and everything comes into focus. When it does, I have no idea where I'm at. The room around me is unfamiliar. My eyebrows furrow as I lift my head and scan the room. Images from last night come crashing down on me, and my heart leaps. “Angelica!” I said excitedly as I turned to face my angel. The only problem was, when I looked at the naked body lying next to me, it wasn't my angelica; it was a stranger. A woman with long, straight black hair and tattoos down her arms, along her shoulder, spine, and lower back, lays completely naked next to me. The scent of sex was strong in the air. Her arousal still lingered, and her orgasm smelled fresh, even though I knew there was no way it was. That
Third Person's POV Both Omegas lie in their tent with their heads hanging out so they can look up at the sky. Their arms are hooked together as they talk.The twins spent the entire day together, starting just before breakfast. They did everything from breakfast to a run through the forest in their beautiful brown bears, which are much smaller than their fathers and mates, to lunch in town at their favorite diner before visiting their friends. At first, Ollie was quiet and timid, but the longer they were together, the more the Omega relaxed. The more he relaxed, the more the old Ollie emerged. Getting the smaller Omega to begin pulling pranks didn't take much convincing. The Omegas giggled as Ivy chased them out of the pack house, where they stumbled over each other and rolled in the grass in a fit of laughter.Somewhere along the lines, Ollie began to find himself again. What happened in that room didn't leave him, but it no longer consumed his every thought, it no longer defined h
Third Person's POV EJ leaned his head back in the shower and sighed as the hot water rained down on his aching muscles. Anders kicked his ass on the training field this morning before helping him move all of his stuff to Ollie's pack. EJ didn't realize how much crap he had accumulated over the years, it was way more than he realized. He lost count of how many times he went up and down those stupid stairs, and not just at River Pack, but at his new one, too. It wouldn't have been so bad if Anders didn't wipe the field with body beforehand, not to mention the chunk his stupid bear almost took out of his ass when he tried to walk away from him. The stupid jerk laughed at him every time he saw him wince.Steam poured out of the shower as EJ stepped out, wrapping a towel around his waist and then grabbing a second towel to dry his hair. EJ rubs his hand on the mirror so he can see. He looks down and sees a box filled with Ollie's stuff that he hasn't unpacked yet. The Alpha smiles and op
Third Person's POV The Omega sits in the window as meditation music plays behind him. The sun warms his pale skin that is only covered in a large oversized white t-shirt and black shorts. His bare feet are tucked under one of the cushions and pressed against the cool wood below it. His arms are wrapped tightly around his legs, and his cheek rests against his knees. He stares outside, watching people go in and out of the woods. He can tell which ones have recently shifted; their hair is a mess, and they're either wearing shorts or sweatpants. Every now and then, he hears the howl of a wolf running free in the woods. He closes his eyes and pictures his own wolf. His eyes sting and burn as they fill with tears, rolling down his face as he pictures his beautiful fur. “Spirit,” He whispers as he pictures his wolf's beautiful white fur and bright blue eyes. He searches the depths of his head, as deep as he can. He looks into every dark place but comes up empty. The Omega buries his face
Third Person's POV “What?” Vanessa said as she held her hands out, palms facing up, gesturing “what” with her hands. Ryder blew out of breath as he shook his head, his attention going to his daughter as she scrambled to her feet.Azalea feels the heat in her face as she frantically straightens her clothes. She looks to her right and is shocked to see Maverick standing so calmly and casually, not bothered in the least bit that her father caught them in such a heated moment.Azalea clears her throat as she steps forward, approaching her father. “Uh, hi! I wasn't expecting you home so soon,” Azalea said, brushing her bangs to the side to get a better look at the lady standing beside her father. Ryder glances between Maverick and his daughter before giving up, pushing a breath out. His shoulder slumps as he shakes his head. Vanessa bites her cheek to stop herself from laughing. She taps the stressed Beta's shoulder as she steps in front of him. “Hi, sweetheart. You must be Azalea,” V
Third Person's POV Vanessa felt awkward sitting in the car with Ryder. It was a long drive and the longest silence between the two without sex. She tried to play it cool, but every time she glanced his way, her heart skipped when she saw he was looking at her. “You're driving me crazy! Say something, or do something!” Vanessa finally said, pressing her left hand against her forehead.Ryder chuckled and grabbed her hand, brought it to his mouth, and kissed her hand. Her stomach fluttered, and she swooned. It was a small gesture, but it was sweet. When he kissed her fingers, she was ready to throw herself out of the car. She thought a quick death would be easier than dying from the shock of how sweet this man could be. Where did he come from? ‘Who is this man sitting next to me?’ She wondered and again gripped the handle of the door. Ryder raised an eyebrow, and she raised one back. “Planning on going somewhere?” The cocky Wolf asked, and she rolled her eyes as she blew out a breath.
Third Person's POV Ryder's chest ached, and his breaths were rapid. He ducked into the alley, and once he was deep enough into the darkness and away from people, he stopped and leaned against the building. “Fuck!” Ryder yelled as he gripped his hair and tugged on it. A flash of light directly in front of Ryder startled him. He grabbed his chest and exhaled in relief when he saw it was just Lucian. “Goddess, you scared me!”Lucian stood still for a moment, a sad expression resting on his face. After a moment, he moved forward and placed his hand on Ryder's arm. Lucian then reached up and touched the mark on the Beta's neck.“This isn't a temporary mark… This is a mating mark. Vanessa is a gift to you from Angelica,” Lucian said as he dropped his hand. Ryder's eyes widened, and his mouth hung open.“No! That isn't possible! Angelica would never do that!“She did, son. She didn't want you to live alone for the rest of your life. She knows you're grieving. She knows you're hurting. Sh
Third Person's POV “Hey, beautiful…” Vanessa sits on the fluffy rug next to her bed. She wears light pink boy short underwear and a white tank top. Her knees are pulled up to her chest, and her arms are wrapped around her legs. Everything that happened this miserable night plays over and over in her head. She thought it would be easy to look at another man and desire them, but it wasn't. Not a single man she looked at was appealing. She tried to convince herself she would, at the very least, take Alex home tonight. She always thought he was gorgeous and loved his muscles. She loved watching him fight for the dominant position, but she loved watching him lose even more. Now, even Alex was doing nothing for her. Just the thought of doing something with any of the men there, even drinking their blood, turned her stomach and made Vanessa nauseous. The Beta consumed her every thought as she made drink after drink. She wasn't sure whether she felt bad or angry with the human that grabbe
Third Person's POV Maverick sighed and rolled onto his back, folding his hands under his head as he looked at the ceiling. “Shade wants his pretty little angel!” his beast said. “I know, so do I,” Maverick replied.Both were struggling to fall asleep. Having a taste of happiness was making it impossible to fall asleep without her. His beast was urging him to sneak in through the shadows for a quick peek at their little angel, but Maverick shot that down.When Maverick closes his eyes, he sees her beautiful smile and feels her lips against his. He groans and squeezes his eyes closed tighter, trying to force the images away. Maverick flinches when a body suddenly appears next to him. Her head is propped up on her right hand, and her left-hand rests against his chest. “Shit, little angel, you scared the crap out of me!” Maverick said as he wrapped his arms around her.Azalea giggled as she leaned forward and kissed his cheek. “I couldn't sleep. I needed to see you,” Azalea said as s
Third Person's POV Ryder came out of his bathroom and froze when he saw Vanessa lying on his bed. “What are you doing here?” Ryder asked angrily. “I needed to see you. You won't reply to any of my messages or phone calls. Why?”“Because we don't need to see or talk to each other! What we're feeling is temporary,” Ryder said as he turned away from her and walked to his dresser.“It doesn't seem like you're feeling shit!” Vanessa said angrily as she stood. “The stupid thing on my neck has me thinking about you 24/7! I can't even get away from you in my fucking dreams, but you're walking around here as if nothing's wrong! How are you so unbothered, but I'm not? Why do you consume my every thought, but you don't think about me at all? Why do I feel the need to be near you, but you can't stand being in my presence?” Vanessa said angrily, her voice trembling near the end.“I do think about you. I just keep it hidden,” Ryder said, pausing with his hand on the dresser. He slowly blinks and