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Finn’s POV Dinner with Lauren’s parents was a miserable affair. I could feel her parents’ eyes on me the entire evening, analyzing my every move. I had to be on high alert all night, fighting my every reflex to pull away from Lauren when she’d lean into me or take my hand in hers. I suppose she behaved as any mate would and that was the point of being there with her, but it made me physically ill to allow it. “So, we’re to believe that Mason’s biological father just showed up out of nowhere after all these years and accepted you as his mate?” Her father, the Alpha, asked, making no effort to hide his suspicion. “Actually, that’s exactly what happened father.” Lauren defended. “After Henry tried to hit Mason, I knew I had to leave to keep my son safe. I ran into Finnick in a diner by chance. He was overjoyed to see me after all this time and when he learned Mason was his son, he insisted we be a family.” It took all my effort to suppress the shiver that ran down my spine as I list
Finn’s POV As predicted, sleep was elusive. I finally gave up well before the sun rose and quietly slipped out of the room. Lauren was sound asleep and I was happy for her to stay that way as long as possible. I wanted a few more hours of peace before I had to face another day of this farce I found myself in. Silently creeping down the hall, I poked my head into Mason’s room to find him hanging halfway off the bed with all the blankets kicked to the floor. I slowly closed the door behind me after stepping inside, careful not to wake the sleeping angel. Then I gently lifted him back onto the bed, spread the covers over his tiny form and scooted in beside him. Mason’s scent was fresh, like clean linen with hints of lavender, and I found it calmed me much like my mates’ scents did. His hair was soft and downy from his bath last night, calling me to nuzzle my face into it. I wrapped an arm around him, pulling him in tight to my side. I missed Sarah and Zayne with every fiber of my b
Sarah’s POV Our time in the Fae Kingdom seemed to drag on forever. Day after day we were summoned to the throne room for interrogation. It seemed King Jarrah was not so easily convinced as his queen. I felt even worse for Kat than I did for myself. She was growing two babies, evidenced by her expanding tummy, and I could tell the prolonged inquisition and repeated requests to demonstrate her power was taking its toll on her. Not just because she was physically exhausted but because she was desperate to secure help for our pack as well as for wolves everywhere. Help that the Fae King seemed reluctant to give. Once the royals had learned that aside from my one sighting, my experience with the Dark Fae was little more than as a voyeur of Kat’s dreams, I was relegated to moral support only. Unfortunately, that left me with far too much time to contemplate my ever growing concern over the way Finnick seemed to be distancing himself from us. Although we had been the ones to leave him b
(Mature Content) Zayne’s POV I savored Sarah’s taste as I devoured her mouth. It felt like forever since I’d managed to leave more than a peck on her delectable lips. Wolf shifters were animals at heart, physical beings who craved intimate connection with their mates. It strengthened our bond in ways nothing else could and to deny a mate’s touch left the bond wasted and weak. Thankfully, my bond with Sarah was still strong despite the days of distance there’d been between us. Though she avoided me like the plague during the day, she couldn’t keep my wolf and I from holding her while she slept and drinking in her scent like water in the desert. Triton could still reach Sadie in those moments and it was enough to recharge the current connecting us. Still, it was nothing like having her willingly in my arms, kissing me back with all the fervor of a woman deeply in love and desperate to drown herself in her mate’s presence. I could feel through our bond that she ached for me as I di
Finn’s POV At times my life felt like a paradox. Ever since the day we’d rescued Mason from his ex-stepfather, Lauren had been different. While she never wavered in her opinion that a home with his two biological parents was the best thing for Mason, she had otherwise kept her distance. Aside from when her parents were around, she made no effort to touch me or undress in front of me and she stopped insinuating herself into my time with Mason. On the other hand, I heard very little from my actual mates. I tried to rationalize that they were busy trying to convince the Fae to fight for us and giving me time to bond with my son, but something about their detachment didn’t sit right with me. They adored Mason. I couldn’t have imagined that kind of love. So wouldn’t they want to know how he was doing? As for me, I had no doubt of their love for me. Sarah and Zayne had both shown me everyday that their love for me was immovable. At least it had been before we’d gone our separate ways
To those of you who continue to read this story, thank you so much for your dedication! I am truly grateful for your support! I write so I can tell stories that I want to tell, the way I want to tell them but it is always so wonderful when others enjoy them as well. As an avid reader myself, I completely understand what it means to spend our hard-earned money on an author's work. So, while I do not write for the money, I truly appreciate every coin and gem spent on my work. I would NEVER, EVER, draw out a story unnecessarily for the sole purpose of costing my readers more to read it. Serial publishing is a difficult medium for authors because it does not allow us to review a completed work and edit it as a whole. In Serial publishing, once we have committed to a storyline, we have no opportunity to delete it or rework it. So while it is imperfect, we hope the ultimate goal is achieved in that our readers enjoy the overall story as a complete work. I am currently writing chapter 110
Finn’s POV After reading Sarah’s text, my heart felt like it was crushed into a million tiny, irretrievable pieces and I was gasping for breath. How could they give up on me so easily? Was I not worth fighting for? There had to be more behind their decision than what met the eye. Nothing and no one could ever convince me to let them go. Not even a formal rejection because I would never accept it. And I sure as hell wasn’t going to accept it now. Under normal circumstances, I would do anything my mates asked of me. But these weren’t normal circumstances and they couldn’t possibly expect me not to contact them after receiving a text like that. In fact, I had no intention of letting them ignore my calls. I would go straight to one of the Alpha twins and insist they walk the phone to Zayne and put it in his hand. That was my first plan of action. Once I’d worked everything out with Sarah and Zayne so I could actually think straight again, then I would devise a plan for getting my s
Lauren’s POV I was done playing around. I had tried everything to get Finn to choose me on his own and decide to stay with Mason and I willingly. From our one night together, I knew he was a passionate man so I tried appealing to that side of him, undressing in front of him or wearing sexy lingerie to bed, but none of that worked. He rebuffed every attempt and acted disgusted by me. After Mason was taken and he saw how shaken I was, he held me in the car until I calmed down. Then it occurred to me that maybe seeing how much I cared for our son was the way to his heart. Maybe it was his appreciation for my maternal side that would build a connection between us. So I stopped all the antics and just tried to show him what a good mother I was and what a good team we made as parents. Of course I still sent the occasional text to Sarah from his phone and sent him texts from “her” from my extra phone as well. It was becoming too much work to make sure he ‘lost’ his phone so I could eras
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