Zoe’s POV Dillon’s kiss robbed me of every thought but him. All I could do was taste and feel as his lips moved against mine, so soft and so delicious. He tasted like strawberries and sunshine on a warm summer day. Every nip, every lick only made me crave him more. The moment Dillon parted my lips with his tongue, I opened for him willingly. His kisses were heavenly. That was the only way to describe the feel of his silky tongue sliding against mine. A brief pang of sadness floated through my chest at the thought that eternity would never be enough time to savor his taste. Dillon’s woodsy scent surrounded me, mixing with the fragrance of our combined arousal, producing an intoxicating aroma that slithered into my brain insidiously and lit my body on fire with an ease that should have frightened me. I took in deep lungfuls, drunk on the way it made me feel, vibrant and alive. If I thought Dillon’s taste was addictive, the way he smelled covered in my scent was its own special kin
Dillon’s POV A possessive rage surged through me and my vision turned red the minute Zoe uttered that fucker’s name. My wolf sprang forward before I could stop him and suddenly, my hand was around Zoe’s throat, pinning her to the wall. My grasp was firm but gentle, not tight enough to harm, but definitely strong enough to send a message. “Say that again! I fuckin’ dare you!” I snarled in her face, so close our noses were touching. Zoe trembled as I pressed my body against hers, and I could tell through the bond it wasn’t out of fear but the thrill my dominant act ignited in her. My little baby doll liked to play. Well there would be plenty of time for that once we sorted out this one tiny problem first. I ran my nose down her cheek and along the length of her neck, momentarily lost in her scent. Her rich, floral scent, honeysuckle and rose, wound its way through the air between us, spiking my desire and making my cock ache for her. While at the same time, it reminded me of home, f
Dillon’s POV What the fuck just happened? One minute I had Zoe in my arms, her soft body pressed against me, relishing her taste and drowning in her scent while she melted under my touch. My heart was soaring, knowing she finally belonged to me. Then suddenly everything changed and I still had no idea why. Every cell in my body told me to go after Zoe, to not let her walk away from me so easily. But my feet refused to move, paralyzed with shock over what had just happened between us. Of all the scenarios I’d tortured myself with in the days leading up to Zoe’s birthday, the one that just played out had never crossed my mind. I’d been deliberately late to the party tonight, unable to overcome the soul-shattering fear of seeing Zoe mated to someone else. I knew it would crush me to watch her find her mate, erasing any possibility that we could end up together, as if my love for her had never existed at all. For someone who considered himself a fearless warrior, that thought had ter
Blair’s POV “Hold the fuck on! I’m coming! I yelled at whoever was banging on my door so hard it rattled the windows. I was just getting out of the shower when someone decided to rain hell on my poor front door. I quickly wrapped a towel around my body and ran to answer it without drying off, leaving little pools of water on the floor in my wake. “Open the door now, Blair!” Dillon barked, pounding again. Hmm. I hoped he was here for another angry fuck. Those were the best and it just so happened I was already dressed for the occasion! I wondered what the skinny little Beta bitch did to piss him off now. Hopefully my special gift had done its job and she’d told him to fuck off once and for all. “Hello, Dil-” I started to greet him but the fury on his face caused me to swallow back the words. The gold threads in his dark chocolate eyes blazed like tiny streaks of lightning and his Gamma aura flared around him, almost knocking me back with its strength. His face was a mask of ho
Zoe’s POV “Go away!” I grumbled in response to Zayne’s incessant knocking, but he pushed his head in anyway. “Not happening, princess. I’m not sure what’s going on with you but it’s gone on long enough.” He said bossily. “You haven’t been out of this bed since the night of your party and you’ve barely eaten anything. I wish you’d talk to me.” I flinched at the mention of my birthday party. I didn’t want to remember that night, didn’t want to think about it, I wanted to shut out the world so I wouldn’t have to face the cruel reality fate had dumped in my lap. “I’m not hungry.” I responded flatly to my brother’s complaints. “Fine. I can’t force you to eat.” Zayne replied, and I sighed in relief thinking he was going to let it go and leave me alone. I was wrong. “But if you think I’m letting you go off to college alone without feeling satisfied that you can protect yourself, you are dead wrong. So get out of this bed and get ready because you are going to training with me this m
Zoe’s POV Even if my wolf hadn’t alerted me to Dillon’s arrival at the training grounds, I was sure I would have sensed his presence anyway. Only seconds after Cinna’s declaration, I could feel the heat from his stare burning into me. I could feel myself flush as the warmth of his gaze traveled over me. “Zoe?” He breathed my name in my mind. I could hear the question in his tone, wondering if my presence meant I was willing to talk to him now. But I didn’t respond, quickly throwing up the block to our link that I’d so carelessly left down. I could feel his mind pushing against the wall between us, giving me a migraine. “Just open the link and the headache will go away.” My wolf offered unhelpfully. “Not going to happen! Just focus on training!” I snapped at her, immediately regretting it. None of this was her fault. “Mate.” She pouted quietly, slumping back on her haunches in defeat. Every fiber of my being was drawn to him, urging me to move closer. My body moved of its ow
Dillon’s POV I sat in my office, throwing back another tumbler full of whiskey as I savored memories from the morning’s training session. She’d been there! I’d felt her the second I stepped out onto the field. Dorian had yipped in my head, racing in circles in his excitement to finally see his mate after days of missing her. I had scanned the crowd and immediately located Zayne but she wasn’t with him. Where was she, I wondered as I continued my search. Finally, my eyes landed on her. She was hiding in the back, probably avoiding me, but I wasn’t going to let her get away with that. Not when she was right in front of me, within my reach. Nice try my little love. She’d ignored me for a whole week and it had taken every ounce of restraint I possessed not to kick her damn door in and tie her to a chair, or better yet, the bed, until she heard me out. Instead, I’d sat outside her suite like the loyal fuckin’ puppy dog I was, hoping she would take pity on me and let me in. I knew it
Zoe’s POV “Zayne, we need to talk!” I burst out with determination the second I walked in the door to our suite. “Well, hello to you too. My day was great! Thanks for asking!” He commented facetiously. “I guess I already know how your day was. What’s on your mind, Zo? “I want to leave for school early, take some time to get settled in before classes start, and find a job. Can you get me a ticket to Ashmouth for tomorrow morning?” I asked, softening my tone and giving him my best puppy-dog eyes. “Tomorrow!” He jumped up from his seat. “Why so soon? What’s going on, Zoe?” “I just need a change, Zayne. I’m about to crawl out of my skin here. I feel suffocated.” It wasn’t a lie. “Am I suffocating you? Because I know I’m not the best surrogate parent, but I try to give you as much space as I can while still making sure you know I’m here for you.” He said, his brow furrowed like he was trying to work out where he went wrong. I felt the pain on his face like a stab to the gut.
Hello Lovely Readers! Once again I want to thank you all for supporting my work! I hope you enjoyed reading A Cruel Fate: Her Gamma's Regret and The Warrior's Wild Mate as much as I did writing them. I may not have time to respond to every comment and review, but I read them all and take every word to heart. So if you have time, please let me know what you though, either in the review or comments section. I would appreciate it so much! As for what comes next, I will be working on The Legends of Glass Lake Series which will focus on the next generation of the Glass Lake as well as their friends and allies' children. Book one is still untitled but will focus on Mason Cross and Elena Stone as well as introducing new characters. I hope to begin publishing the first few chapters in early January and hope you'll join me for the ride. That's a wrap for Derek and Julia. For now. We'll see them again soon! Much love, Cara
Julia’s POV 5 Years Later “Hurry up! We’re going to be late!” I called to Derek, trying to rush him along. Kat, Reegan and Ryan were holding a birthday party for their two year old son Liam and we were running behind as usual. With our own two year old and four year old, going anywhere as a family was a lot like herding cats. Everyone was either moving in different directions or refusing to move at all. Currently, it was the latter. “I can’t get Lexi off the toilet, sweetness.” Derek’s exasperated voice called back. We were potty-training our daughter and Derek loved to say she was a typical woman, once you got her in the bathroom you couldn’t get her out. I crept down the hall to check on their progress and had to choke back a laugh at the conversation they were having. “Please, Lexi-Lou, show dada what a big girl you are! As soon as you go potty in the toilet, we can go to Liam’s party and you can have cake and ice cream!” He bargained. “But, I not a big girl, dada. I your b
Julia’s POV Pain seared through the raw nerves where Derek’s fangs pierced my neck. Marking was usually done in the heat of passion, a pleasurable distraction from the pain, but Derek hadn’t waited for that and I couldn’t care less. I loved that he was so desperate to make me his, he couldn’t wait to sink his teeth into me. The sharp sting was a reminder that he was really there and I was really his, that it hadn’t all been a wonderful yet finite dream. But the pain went as quickly as it had come, mutating into a sensual thrill that ignited my lust while turning my bones to jelly. Derek groaned in pleasure as our bond solidified, pulling me tighter against him to hold me up as my knees weakened beneath me. A long languorous moan fell from my lips as Derek swirled his tongue over his mark. Then suddenly, a whirlwind of love, devotion, lust, and a fierce possessiveness hit me square in the chest, knocking the air from my lungs. I’d believed Derek when he’d said he loved me, but this
Derek’s POV The drive back to Glass Lake territory was the longest of my life! With every passing mile, a new worry assaulted me. Winning Julia back was far from a sure thing. I still didn’t know if she really slept with Eric. The thought of him putting his hands on her luscious body or sticking his cock in her tight, hot pussy infuriated me! But it also scared the shit out of me, because if she did fuck him, it meant she had already moved on. Julia Kane was stunningly gorgeous, fiercely loyal, and stubborn as hell. If she decided she was done with me, there would be no changing her mind. The thought of her slamming the door in my face left me equal parts terrified and depressed as fuck. A future without her felt so bleak, cold and empty. But the more I thought about it, the more dejected I became. If she’d been the one to find her mate, and agreed to give him a chance so easily, let me walk away without a fight, I’m not sure I would have given her another chance either. B
Derek’s POV Eric’s taunt sent me into a red fucking rage! I wanted to slice his dick off with my claws and shove it down his fucking throat. Julia was mine! MINE! And nobody fucking touched her but me! I suspected they’d slept together in the past and the thought of them doing it again gutted me. I’d put everything she’d done before me out of my mind, just like she’d done for me. But Julia Kane had carved her name on my heart, branded it on my soul, and nobody else could have her now! “Derek, stop!” Julia screamed, stepping in front of Eric. “It’s okay, sunshine.” Eric chuckled, wrapping an arm around her torso. “He’s so pissed he can’t see straight. I doubt he could land a hit if he tried.” “Not helping!” Julia hissed at him over her shoulder. “Step back and cool off!” Damien barked, his steadying hand on my shoulder. I was fucking furious and my chest heaved violently. I balled my fists at my sides, trying to restrain my beast but my body swayed in Eric’s direction. My
Julia’s POV “So you come out here everyday to collect samples?” I asked Trista as we tramped through the forest together. She was explaining her research on forest sustainability and showing me how she collected test samples to see how different trees and plants responded to different fertilization compounds. It was part of her postdoctoral work and way over my head but still fascinating. Although I had to admit, listening to her enthusiasm for the subject left me feeling a little left behind. Zoe had left for college right after high school and Kat had midwife training. Trista was well on her way to saving our habitat and I was still deciding what I wanted to be when I grew up. That thought led me to wonder what Amber’s aspirations were. Was she going to college? Did she have plans to do something important with her life, medical research like Zoe or maybe become a doctor? Was she smarter than me? From there I found myself diving head first down the rabbit hole of all the
Derek’s POV “Fuck man! I don’t know what to say.” Dillon had ceased trying to strangle me to death and had moved on to pacing a hole in the office floor. “I mean she’s my sister. I can’t stand the thought of her heartbroken and alone. But after finding Zoe, I know what it’s like to meet your fated mate. I could never expect you to give that up.” “Amber, could you please excuse us. I’d like to talk with the Gamma alone for a minute.” I tried asking nicely with little hope it would get me very far. “Oh no! Absolutely not! I’m your mate. There is nothing you can’t say in front of me.” She actually stamped her foot at the end of that little speech. “Of course, I can say it. I just don’t want to!” I explained, grabbing her arm and dragging her toward the door. “:Let’s go, princess.” “What? No!” She squawked in protest. “You’re my mate! You can’t tell me no! That’s not how it’s supposed to work!” She whined the whole way but I wasn’t giving in. Once I managed to deposit her outsi
Derek’s POV I was losing my ever-loving shit! How could she be moving on already? Out partying, dancing, smiling like she wasn’t missing me at all. Meanwhile, I was so twisted up in knots, I couldn’t think straight. And what the fuck did she mean by ‘fucking someone isn’t the same as getting to know them’? Who’s fucking who? She couldn’t possibly think I was fucking Amber. I knew it happened often with fated mates but surely not when they were already in love with someone else. I owed it to myself and Amber to get to know her, Just like Jules told me to do. But she couldn’t possibly think I’d get over what we had and hop into bed with Amber that quickly. Okay sure. That’s who I used to be. But that was before Julia Kane came along and turned my world upside down. I was a different person now and even if things didn’t work out with Julia and me, I wasn’t sure I could ever go back to being that guy. Not when I knew how disappointed she would be in me. That thought made me sick
Julia’s POV “I think I'm going to visit Forest Trails for a few days. I met Trista the last time she and her Alpha were here and I really liked her.” I was sitting in the living room of the cabin my brother and Zoe had moved into, trying to stop my turmoil from leaking through our sibling bond. Based on the way Dillon was watching me like he would a wounded animal, I wasn't sure I was succeeding. Zoe gave me a knowing look, but thankfully said nothing to my brother about the suspicions I saw shining in her eyes. “It’s been weeks since they were here and you never said a word. Why now?” Dillon’s tone was accusatory, telling me he’d already sniffed out my ulterior motives. “”Hmm?” I put a finger on my chin in a pensive expression. “Maybe because you’re all mated up and hiding from the rest of the world.” He shot me a beleaguered look. One that said he did not appreciate my snarky attitude. Zoe giggled at his put upon expression but instead of the same exasperated huff I got fr