A little preview of how manipulative Lauren can be. Thanks so much for reading!
Sarah’s POV As soon as we pulled into RedWoods territory, it was immediately evident something was happening. There was a line of cars leading up to the packhouse and as we turned into the lot for resident parking, I could see one of the warriors directing traffic. What’s going on? What did we miss?” I asked Zayne, who immediately mind-linked to find out. “Dillon said the Alphas are making an announcement to the pack tonight. He has no idea what it is but Luna Rachael decided to make an event out of it so it looks like we’re having a party!” He relayed his conversation. “Ooh! I better hurry inside and see if Kat needs any help!” I exclaimed excitedly. Even though I hadn’t been officially inducted yet, this would be my first event as the Beta Female. I wasn’t sure what that entailed but I knew I should help my Luna with whatever she needed. I was excited for my first official duty but my mates just groaned at me. “Kitten, I thought we were going to go to our room and pick u
Sarah’s POV After our somber talk, Kat quickly changed the subject back to the party, seeming genuinely excited about the evening and the coming announcement. I helped her pick out a royal purple cocktail dress that highlighted the blue in her eyes. and she helped me choose a dress as well before the twins’ mom tracked her down and dragged her away for hair and make-up. I held up the deep plum one-shoulder bodycon dress Kat had chosen for me. It had cut-outs at the waist and an angled cut-out from the shoulder down across my cleavage. I hadn’t been sure about it but she said it looked good with my red hair and made my green eyes pop. Plus it was in the same color palette as hers which she said showed solidarity. And I liked that I could tease my mates by showing a little skin. It was getting late so I rushed back to Zayne’s room to get ready. I knew my guys had most likely been fucking each other while I was gone and I wasn’t sure how I would feel about it when I saw them but I w
Sarah’s POV The next morning I woke with the sun, stretching my deliciously sore muscles. Finn and Zayne had been insatiable last night, taking me one at a time and together multiple times through the night. I wasn’t even sure what time we’d finally slept or for how long. I knew I would be exhausted later, but for now, I was too excited to sleep any longer. I tried to squeeze out from between my snoring mates but I was too tightly wedged in. They were in their favorite position, each with a leg and an arm thrown over me, tangled together with me pressed between them. They were both dead to the world so I was going to have to take drastic measures to get free. “I have to pee!” I shouted, garnering the desired reaction. Both of them jolted upright, looking around frantically, then relaxed when their eyes found me and saw that I was fine. “Fuck, kitten! You scared the shit out of me!” Finn growled gently. “My heart is in my throat!” Zayne grumbled. “Did you have to scream, princess
Zayne’s POV I was sure I was developing a migraine. Between the excitement surrounding the Alphas expecting twins, Ian and Isabella’s news and the conversation we were about to have about the threat overshadowing it all, it was enough to give anyone a headache. But as if that weren’t enough, my wolf would not shut up. “We need pups! I want them and so does Callum!” He kept repeating over and over again. “Triton, no one is refusing to give you pups. It will happen soon enough.” I tried to reassure him, but it wasn’t enough to appease him. “Let’s try now!” He insisted. “Take mate back to the room now!” “Buddy, trust me, I want that as much as you do. But we can’t right now. We have to figure out how to keep Sarah and any future pups safe. That’s most important, right?” I argued. “Nobody will touch mate! We’ll keep her safe!” He grumbled, finally walking off to lay down. “Triton hounding you about making pups?” Finn leaned over to ask me, noting my frown. I just nodded my answ
Lauren’s POV I was currently wading my way through the clusters of people mingling together in the lounge of the Glass Lake packhouse. When I’d followed Finnick here I wasn’t sure how I would manage to cross the border but apparently security was lax as an influx of visitors were arriving for a party. I slipped through with the incoming crowd and now I was biding my time until I could corner Finnick and force him to hear me out. I’d lost sight of him last night during the party and had yet to see him again. Many guests must have spent the night because there were people everywhere. I’d found a sweet, young omega to watch Mason for me so at least I didn’t have to navigate and keep track of him too. Just when I finally made my way to the edge of the room, I caught sight of Finn and his mates descending the stairs. But before I could call out to him, he started to speak so I chose to remain quiet and listen. “Zayne, would you mind if I spent some one-on-one time with Sarah? You and
(Mature content) Finnick’s POV Sarah returned my kiss like she was dying of thirst and only I could quench it, sucking my tongue and fighting for dominance. Her aggressive response was driving me insane. My cock was so hard for her I was afraid it might break if I couldn’t get inside her soon. But we had a conversation to finish, so I reluctantly and painfully pulled away. “What’s wrong?” Sarah looked worried, so I rushed to reassure her. “Nothing’s wrong, kitten. Everything is perfect!” I consoled her. “But I am about to lose control and sink my fangs into you right now so I want to be clear about what you want before that happens. I don’t want you to have any regrets.” “But I already told you I wanted you to mark me.” Sarah pouted, grinding against me frustratedly. It was adorable and fucking painful at the same time. “I know, love. But I want to offer you an option.” I explained. “What option?” She asked, her curiosity piqued. “I’m more than happy to mark you here and now
Sarah’s POV The dappled afternoon light created by the setting sun as it shone through the surrounding trees woke me from my cozy spot snuggled into Finn’s chest. I watched as a light breeze rustled the leaves, casting moving shadows on our naked bodies, and basked in the peace of the moment. Who would have thought I would find so much happiness in Finn’s arms after where we had started? How far we’d come. “Do we have to leave? I’m not ready to let go of you yet.” Finn’s raspy voice, still thick with sleep, startled me. “I was so lost in thought, I didn’t realize you were awake.” I spoke without moving, refusing to relinquish my comfortable position, stretched out over Finn’s body with my cheek resting on his firm chest. “Oh yeah? Want to share?” he probed. “What has you so distracted?” “Not much.” I shrugged, jostling us slightly. “Insignificant things like how sexy you are, how perfect your body feels against mine, how toe-curling the orgasms you give me are. Unimportant
Finn’s POV Zayne left to find a guest room for Lauren and Mason while Sarah and I walked back to our room together. Not a word was spoken between us but I could feel the aura of hurt and anger surrounding her. It clung to the air, so thick I could almost choke on it. Guilt was crushing me, ripping me apart from the inside out. I had hurt her again after I promised her I never would. It seemed no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn’t heal the pain I’d inflicted upon her. Instead, I just kept breaking promises and making things worse. I had to prepare myself for her rejection because there was no way she would forgive me now. Only, how could I prepare for something I knew I’d never survive. In the years I tried staying away from Sarah, I’d become a shell of myself, wandering through life feeling lost and alone. Then I met Zayne and things started to get better. I loved him immediately, but even that wasn’t enough to fill the void in my life where Sarah should have been. That had
To all my lovely readers, Thank you so much for the love and loyalty you've shown the Celtic Wolf series so far! I am so thankful to each and every one of you for sharing this journey with me! I will be taking a little time to do some more writing and editing on book 3 before I begin publishing but it will be coming soon! The final book in the series will follow Dillon and Zoe's story. It will begin a little earlier in the timeline from where book 2 ended, taking us to the currrent time and beyond, culminating in the final showdown between the wolves, Light and Dark Fae. Stay tuned to find out what fate has in store for Dillon and Zoe, and all wolf kind! Much love to you all, Cara Update: The title for book 3 is A Cruel Fate: Her Gamma's Regret. I plan to begin publishing in early July. Hope you will all join me for the final book in the series!
(Four Months Later) Sarah’s POV “Aaagh! I can’t do this anymore!” I cried, falling back into Zayne’s arms, totally spent. “Yes, you can, princess! You’re almost there.” he encouraged, brushing my hair back out of my face and wiping the sweat off my forehead. “You’ve got this, kitten. Just keep thinking about holding our pup in your arms.” Finn added. “Why is it taking so long? Kat pushed out two babies in less than an hour.” I complained at the unfairness of my situation. “My babies were smaller because there were two of them, sweetie.” Kat explained. “”But I had to do this part twice and it hurt like a bitch both times if that makes you feel any better.” “It doesn’t!” I pouted. “I’m so tired. And Sadie is pacing in my mind, worried about the pup. It’s too much!” Finn pressed his forehead to mine. “Callum and Triton will calm Sadie. Just try to relax until the next contraction.” I’d gone into labor nearly twelve hours ago and our stubborn little pup was still refusing to
Sarah’s POV Reaching the exit of the goddess forsaken prison we were being held in was easier than expected. The arrogance of the Dark Fae in thinking themselves too superior to wolves, even gifted wolves, to even consider we might be capable of such a thing made our work that much easier. Only three creatures stood in our way as we ran through the barren corridors and Kat easily took them down. It was only once we actually made it outside that the real obstacles appeared. Nearly running smack into the back of the colossal Dark Fae army could have easily ended our bid for freedom. Miraculously, Kat was able to create an invisible wall of air between us and them, Zoe and I bouncing off of it and falling back on our assess. Still, we somehow went unnoticed. The Moon Goddess was definitely with us. Kat quickly helped me to my feet and we both lifted Zoe from the ground. My sister-in-law was shaking so violently, she could barely force her legs to move. Kat was already heading for cover
Zayne’s POV As we pulled away from Glass Lake territory, an entire cavalcade of vehicles trailed behind us, all filled with our best fighters. But knowing what the Dark Fae could do, I wasn’t sure it would be enough. At most, a wolf attack would provide a distraction, but that distraction could mean the difference between success and failure. Guilt slithered through my veins at the thought we were leading them like lambs to a slaughter. “How many Light Fae do you think will come?” I asked Finn for the hundredth time, my leg bouncing nervously and bumping into his. “Enough, I hope.” Finn answered vaguely, placing a steadying hand on my knee. Finn slid his hand into mine, lacing our fingers together. It was comforting to feel his warm body pressed into my side and his strong hand gripping mine. But even so, the fear and uncertainty passing back and forth between us through the bond was like an elephant on my chest, crushing me. My free hand slipped inside my jacket pocket, feelin
Sarah’s POV I woke with a start and immediately missed the coolness of the stone my face had been pressed against. My stomach roiled and bile burned in my throat. I tried to breathe through my nose but it didn’t help and before I knew it, dry heaves wracked my body. I tried to brush my hair out of my face but the motion produced a loud clanking sound and a searing pain in my wrists as my arms were yanked back. It was then I realized I was sitting on a dirt floor, my arms bound in silver and chained to the wall. Suddenly it all came rushing back. Attempting to clear the grogginess, I shook my head but that only made the nausea return. I rested my cheek against the cool stone wall and waited for the churning in my gut to subside. And while I waited, I tried to make sense of my surroundings. Where the fuck was I? I had no idea how far we’d run when the Dark Fae found us. And we’d covered our scent so wherever we were, no one would be able to track us here. We were just going to h
Finn’s POV Hours passed while we ran in circles, chasing scents that had somehow ceased to exist. Zayne and I felt nothing through the bond. No fear, no pain. It was as if our mate had disappeared completely, along with her scent. Dillon and Zoe had not sealed their bond so he couldn’t tell, but the Alphas said their connection with Kat felt the same. Simply empty. None of us wanted to admit defeat but it was painfully clear we were getting nowhere. Finally Reegan and Ryan suggested we return to the packhouse to regroup and gather reinforcements. The rest of us reluctantly agreed, having no better options. “We are too far to reach the pack through mindlink, but I will call Elder Alma on our way home and ask her to contact the Fae Queen. Maybe she will know how we can find them.” Ryan offered up what seemed to be our only remaining option. Reegan nodded curtly, acknowledging his brother, but otherwise he hadn’t spoken a word in the last hour. I knew he was trying to maintain the o
A few hours earlier at the Karaoke Lounge Reegan’s POV I loved listening to Kat sing. I could still remember that first night I’d heard her beautiful voice. I was already desperately in love with her at the time but hearing her sing only enchanted me further. I’d even dreamed about the day she would sing to our children and now that dream had come true. When the emcee called her on stage, indicating it was her turn to perform, I knew what had already been a good night so far was about to get even better. Ryan and I both watched in awe as she picked up the mic and sung the first few lines in that sexy, sultry voice of hers. I stole a glance at the rest of our table to find they were all equally entranced. But as the song went on, I became more and more distracted. My eyes never left my gorgeous Luna but my mind drifted. My gut twisted nervously as the feeling that I was missing something kept growing stronger. I tried to shake it off, determined not to ruin the evening for my brothe
Sarah’s POV I quickly pushed through the door behind me and walked around the back of the building until I came to another door. As I predicted, Kat came bursting through it, nearly bowling me over in her haste. “Fuck!” She cried out when she slammed into me. “Sorry!” “What for?” My voice was hard, perturbed that she hadn’t let me in on her plan. “Are you sorry for nearly running me over or for trying to leave without me?” Before she could answer, footsteps were heard running up behind us. I turned, my claws out to attack our intruder. “Damn it Zoe! You scared the shit out of me!” I growled when she came into view. “I was ready to rip you apart. What are you doing here?” “The better question is, what are the two of you doing here?” She crossed her arms over her chest stubbornly. “It doesn’t matter, Zoe. You have to go back. Both of you do.” Kat growled at us. “You might not know it yet, but the Moon Goddess chose me as your Gamma Female. So whether you like it or not, where my
Sarah’s POV I couldn’t shake the nausea that had settled in my gut like an unwelcome houseguest. I was excited for a night out with my mates and our friends but the feeling that something bad would happen just wouldn’t leave me alone. Maybe I really did have PTSD. After the last attack, maybe I was no longer capable of believing we could celebrate together without the Dark Fae coming along to destroy our happiness. No matter what, I wouldn’t let my apprehension show on my face. We deserved an opportunity to let loose and have fun. I wasn’t about to ruin that for everyone else, especially Kat. If anyone had earned a reprieve, it was her. Determined to have a good time, I shoved all negativity aside and focused on perfecting my make-up. I hadn’t been getting much sleep or eating much lately and it was beginning to show on my face. My skin looked pale and my eyes looked tired and drawn. I had my work cut out for me. But no matter how hard I tried to divert my attention, the nausea