Song Credit: 10,000 Hours by Dan + Shay. Thank you for reading!
Zoe’s POV Suddenly life seemed so full that the strange dream I’d had started to fade into the background. As if the Moon Goddess was making up for the losses we’d suffered, she’d filled our lives with so much joy that we had little time to ruminate on the negatives. Somewhere in the recesses of my mind, I knew a threat still loomed over us all, one we’d have to face sooner or later. But despite Selene’s message, I just couldn’t see what I had to offer that could possibly change the outcome. So I chose not to consider it at all. Instead, I focused all my energy on the people I loved. Sarah was the sister I never had and the fact that she was Kat’s best friend since childhood made our trio complete. We spent our days enjoying time together with Kat’s twin pups and my adopted nephew, Mason. Who had time for life’s worries when there were adorable little ones to dote on? Then there was Dillon. Since my brother and his mates had moved to our old cabin in the woods, we spent almost ever
Zoe’s POV The house was packed when we finally made it to the bar but we had no problem finding our group. We pushed through the tightly packed bodies to the table right in front of the stage that had become our usual spot. We were the last to arrive so all eyes were on us as we sauntered up. Zayne growled and his lips pulled back in a snarl as soon as he spotted us. But his eyes slid past me and settled on Dillon. “Why the fuck would you bring her here wearing that ridiculous excuse for a dress?” My brother ground out furiously. "Did you see all the fuckers leering at her when you walked by?” “Yeah, I saw them.” Dillon’s features darkened. “But have you met your sister? When’s the last time you were able to make her do anything? In fact, I’m pretty sure all she has to do is bat her pretty eyelashes and every one of us bows to her will, including you!” Zayne narrowed his eyes at him, frowning petulantly, but I couldn’t be bothered with their macho bullshit anymore because Sara
A few hours earlier at the Karaoke Lounge Dillon’s POV I was so wired, It felt like an electric current was coursing through my veins instead of blood. My heart had thumped nervously since the minute we walked in the door. I couldn’t wait to tell everyone the truth about Zoe and me, to finally have our bond acknowledged openly by our family and friends. But the wait was nerve-wracking. All our mated friends were so in love and openly affectionate with one another. I wanted to be able to hold Zoe that way, to put my arms around her and kiss her sweet lips no matter who was watching. But just when the perfect moment presented itself for our announcement, Kat was called on stage and we had to wait. My wolf and I were about to lose our minds. I was especially anxious to claim my mate because the next fucking asshole to leer at her like they couldn’t wait to get her underneath them, I was going to pluck out their eyeballs and shove them down their throat. Not that I blamed them for l
Zoe’s POV I blinked my eyes rapidly, hoping that my vision would clear and the creature leering at me would disappear like a bad dream. But it wasn’t a dream. The biting cold of the concrete wall at my back and the dirt floor with its jagged-edged rocks digging into my feet were terrifyingly real. My arms were strung up over my head, bound in metal chains and attached to a silver ring hanging from the ceiling. My feet were shackled in iron manacles attached to the floor. My naked body was stretched taut and the silver cuffs on my wrists singed my skin with any attempt to move. The remnants of whatever drug they’d given me still burned in my veins, no doubt responsible for my still blurred vision. I should have been thankful I couldn’t see clearly but when the creature moved toward me in a blur of black scales and streaks of green from his luminescent eyes it was all the more horrific. A scream died in my throat as the black shadow drew suffocatingly close, morphing into more o
Dillon’s POV None of us wanted to admit defeat, but after running in circles for hours with no trace of the girls, there was little else we could do. I’d never hated anything as much as I hated leaving that forest without Zoe. The anguish that clung to me like a second skin was crippling. Silence reigned as we drove back to Glass Lake. Whether we were all too lost to our own heartache to speak or just afraid talking about our failure would make it all too real, no one seemed inclined to talk about it. If someone had a brilliant idea of what to do next, they certainly weren’t sharing it. That was the most gut-wrenching part of all. It was like searching for a needle in a haystack with no idea where to start. We could take a stab in the dark, but if we guessed wrong, we’d be wasting precious time. Time that could cost our mates their lives. When we finally arrived at the packhouse, everyone filed out and headed inside but I hung back. I was breaking and didn’t need an audience
Zoe’s POV I leapt for the door as soon as we pulled up in front of the hospital, but Dillon caught me around the waist and hauled me back before I could slip out. “Dillon! Let me go!” I demanded, “I need to get to the lab.” “I understand that, baby doll, and I will make sure you get there. But there is no way in fuckin’ hell you are getting out of this car naked!” He protested I looked down at myself and was startled to find he was right. My thoughts had gone from dazed, guarding me from the trauma I had yet to process, to laser-focused on the idea formulating in my mind. There had been no room for anything else, not even my state of undress. “Damn!” I muttered under my breath. “Can I wear your shirt?” Dillon was already pulling off his t-shirt and dragging it over my head. He helped me out of the SUV and I started for the front door again. But again, he pulled me back. “Too much skin.” He grumbled, eyes trained on my bare legs. He grabbed the blanket from the car an
Dillon’s POV “We have a new rotation of Fae warriors arriving today. Are the accommodations prepared?” Ryan asked during our daily morning meeting. “Everything is ready for their arrival. Sarah oversaw the preparations with Zoe’s help.” Zayne answered then turned to me. “I hate to do this but I think my sister is going to have to manage the next group on her own. Between the pregnancy and caring for Mason, it’s taking a toll on my mate.” “No problem, man. I’m sure Zoe can handle it and you know I’ll help her if she needs it.” I told him. He fixed me with a questioning look, one that said he wasn’t sure he believed me when I said Zoe could take care of anything. It was no secret she’d been a shadow of her former self since her time in the Dark Fae prison. If she wasn’t in the lab, working away on something she refused to talk about, she was either sleeping or staring off into space. I’d lost track of the number of times I’d tried to get her to open up to me, to let me help her
Dillon’s POV Zoe coiled her arms around my neck then sucked my earlobe into her warm mouth as I carried her to our room. Between her hot kisses, her lush body melting into me and my weeks long self-imposed celibacy, my cock was harder than steel and aching with the need to be sheathed in the wet heat of her pussy. The slick dripping from her core as she grinded over my bulge didn’t help matters either. “Fuck, baby doll! Keep that up and this will be over before it starts.” I warned her. “Mmm.” Her hummed response was the only indication she’d heard me at all. When we reached the bed, Zoe refused to unlock her legs from around my waist, pressing herself even closer when I’d tried to pry her off so I could lay her down. Instead, I tumbled down with her in my arms, landing on top of her and fusing my lips to hers. I dominated our kiss, plundering her mouth with my tongue, tasting every inch of her. The kiss was a message, demanding she submit to me, lay back and let me take ca
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