Thank you so much for reading to the end! Please read the author's note which follows for information on book 3!
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!
Finnick’s POV My eighteenth birthday. The day wolves everywhere looked forward to and for me, it was finally here. It was the day we could find our fated mate, after all. Mates were a sacred gift from the Moon Goddess and finding them was a blessing. I should’ve been more excited but I just couldn’t find it in me to be. My lack of enthusiasm had nothing to do with not wanting a mate. I did want mine, more than anything. It’s just that, I already knew who I wanted her to be but I also knew it wasn’t possible, at least not today. For the last year, I’d been in love with Sarah Woods. Not that anyone knew that. Not even her. She was my best friend’s little sister, making her strictly off limits. And she was only sixteen, too young to recognize her mate. Seth Woods had been my friend since kindergarten. We met on the first day of school and immediately became inseparable. If we weren’t at school, we could always be found at each other’s houses. Our parents quickly learned it was no
Sarah’s POV Five Years later “Is this supposed to be some kind of romantic experience, like something out of one of those romance novels girls like to read?” My “kind of” boyfriend, Kyle asked, turning around from where he was walking ahead of me to scowl in my direction. “Because I really don’t see the appeal.” He added, as if the look on his face hadn’t told me as much. We had gone out for a walk on one of the trails through the forest surrounding RedWoods territory when a rainstorm hit. Even under the thick canopy of trees, large raindrops snaked their way through to the forest floor, soaking through our t-shirts and jeans. The sun had been shining brightly when we’d set off so we were completely unprepared for a downpour. No jackets, no umbrellas, nothing. As the showers increased in intensity, Kyle’s pace had increased proportionately while mine had remained unaltered. “Ugh! I can’t wait to get back to the house and dry off!” He grumbled under his breath about the way hi
Sarah’s POV “Finnick is fine Sarah!” Seth barked at me whenever I’d ask about his missing best friend. “If he wants to talk, he’ll call. And if he decides there’s anything worth coming back for, he’ll come home.” Seth didn’t talk much about Finn after that night and when he did, it was with the same resentful tone. Something told me he’d been in touch with him and knew where he was. But before long, it became clear that he wasn’t coming back. At least not any time soon. I think my brother felt abandoned by his best friend. I didn’t know what to feel because I didn’t know what Finn and I were before he left . . . more than friends but not quite lovers. How was I supposed to grieve his absence when I didn’t know exactly what I’d lost? To make matters worse, my best friend Kat started dating the Alpha’s son Jesse around that time, leaving me feeling even more alone. She always tried to include me even if it was just the two of them and not the whole gang. And she was always there to
Finnick’s POV “Fuck!!” I screamed as I slammed my fist into the steering wheel of my Jeep. After five long years I was going back to the one place I never wanted to be again. I was going home to RedWoods. Back to the place where I would have to face the memories of the one person I wanted to forget. Sarah. She was the reason I stayed away all those years. But despite my absence, my best friend, who also happened to be her brother, always stayed in touch. Seth stuck by me, never letting our friendship fade away as I’d thought it would when I left for reasons I could never share with him. But now, he needed me and I couldn’t let him down. Even if it destroyed me. When Seth had called me a few weeks ago to ask me to come to RedWoods to train him for his tryouts for the Lead Warrior position, I was hesitant to say the least. My sole tactic for surviving life without my mate was maintaining my distance. But I would have to be physically present to train him effectively. There would be
Finnick’s POV Despite the agony it caused, I often let my mind wander back to that night. The night that changed everything, ruined all my carefully made plans to claim my mate. I had been living at the Crimson Moon pack a full year when it happened. It was the place I’d run to all those years ago when I realized I couldn’t stay in RedWoods, near my sixteen-year-old mate. I wanted to continue the warrior training I’d started at Crimson Moon so I asked the Alpha to let me join. When he discovered I was a natural fighter, he encouraged me to enter some of the local competitions. When I won all of those, I started applying for national contests and won those too, leading my new Alpha to take notice. When his Beta retired without an heir, he’d invited me to compete for the role and I did, easily knocking out the competition. I missed Sarah everyday, so all the training and focus I invested in competing and my job as Beta was a good distraction for me. And the frequent travel required
Finnick’s POV As I entered RedWoods Territory, I pushed all the anguish I was feeling aside, determined to mentally prepare for what lay ahead. By the time my jeep rolled to a stop in the Woods’ driveway, I felt as ready as I was going to be. I took a few deep breaths, reveling in the clean air before I had to enter her home and try not to drown in her intoxicating vanilla and spice scent. I steeled myself for that onslaught and headed for the front door. The closer I got to the entrance, the more restless my wolf became. I’d expected it though. Even knowing she wasn’t here, just being in her home and surrounded by her lingering scent was bound to set him off. I did my best to ignore him. Seth told me he would be on border patrol duty and wouldn’t be home until later so I should just let myself in. I tried the knob and as I’d anticipated, it was open. The Woods family never locked their door. As soon as I crossed the threshold I knew something wasn’t right. Sarah’s scent crashed i
Sarah’s POV “Hello, little mate.” He said to me as soon as we were alone. His voice was gravelly and his eyes kept flashing between azure blue and pitch black, telling me Callum was trying to say hello. My wolf, Sadie, was jumping around in my head, squealing “Mate!” over and over. I had met Finnick’s wolf when I was younger. After he turned sixteen and Callum awoke, he would shift every chance he got to run around as his beautiful russet-colored wolf. He’d even let me ride on his back a few times. But Sadie hadn’t been with me long before Finn left so our wolves had never formally met. My mind was still trying to catch up to the insanity that comprised the last few minutes of my life, but his wide smile was infectious and I found myself smiling back at him just as brightly. I couldn’t believe that the man I’d loved for the last five years was actually my mate! And he wanted me! At least, I think he did. The possessive way he stormed in here and claimed me, yanked Kyle off me an
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