Seriously? I demand. You brazen little – Hey, don’t slut shame me. She answers indignantly. There’s nothing wrong with knowing what you want and going after it. Excuse me, but do you actually know what you want? I silently scoff. One moment you’re provoking him and the next you’re writhing around
Ella When my panic attack finally eases and I can breathe again, I peek up at Sinclair, tears burning in my eyes. “I’m sorry.” I murmur weakly, hating that my stupid brain ruined our moment. “Why the hell are you apologizing?” Sinclair counters, still petting me. He hadn’t let me go even once as I
She whimpers in understanding, though she’s still beside herself. I climb back into bed, curling into a little ball and pulling the blankets over my head. I haven’t felt this way before, though Sinclair has certainly been angry with me in the past. Hey, I ask my wolf after some thought. Why weren’t
Trigger Warning: This chapter contains experiences of abuse and sexual assault – nothing explicit, but please take care reading! Sinclair Ella’s small body is completely stiff in my arms, even though we’re in her favorite place. I’ve only bathed with her once before, but it didn’t take a rocket sc
I’m still holding Ella’s chin, but her eyes look anywhere but at me. Slight pressure nudges my fingers as Ella gives a slight nod, and then her wide gaze returns to mine, suddenly so vulnerable that my heart aches. “Do we have to talk about it?” I wish I could tell her no, promise that she won’t ev
Trigger Warning: This chapter contains experiences of abuse and sexual assault – nothing explicit, but please take care reading! Sinclair Don’t shift, don’t shift, don’t shift. I think manically. Ella needs you. Listening to Ella recount her childhood always makes me furious, but this time is wor
“So I stopped hiding at night. I gave myself up so the others wouldn’t be touched… I figured I couldn’t be ruined more than I already was, and it was better than allowing someone else to be destroyed.” Ella shares, confirming my fears but also magnifying my despair by explaining her logic. “The matr
Sinclair After Ella shared her story with me, we spent a long time just kissing and cuddling, talking through our feelings and reaffirming our love. Still, Ella wasn’t entirely soothed. I could tell she was still beating herself up about her panic attack, no matter how many times I promised her it
He shakes his head at me as tears fill his own eyes and he leans forward, pulling me against him while somehow miraculously managing not to crush our children between us as he holds me tight in his arms. “So, I guess it wouldn’t matter,” he murmurs against my hair as I sniff back my tears and nod.
“Even more than the kids!?” I gasp, my mouth falling open a bit. “I mean, the kids,” he says, shrugging as if they’re not much, which makes me laugh. But then he goes a little rigid as he realizes something, raising his eyes to glare at me a bit. “Wait, are you saying you like the kids more than m
Ella “Nope,” Sinclair says, heaving himself out of bed and grabbing his phone off the bedside table as he does. “I can’t live like this, Ella – I’m calling Roger, I’ve got to know –“ “Dominic!” I say, laughing and grabbing for him, trying to catch the edge of his pajamas and failing because I’v
She laughs and I look first at Sinclair, who shrugs, and then back at my sister. “Come on,” Roger says, nodding at the crowds of people waiting to congratulate us and at the small table of refreshments. “Let’s decide this over some champagne.” Sinclair nods at me and I sigh, moving with my famil
The last image, though, lingers. Ariel, with Rafe and Jesse on either side – as they always are – and her two mates behind her. All standing together on a battlefield with Ariel at the center, magic welling between her hands and passing to her brother, to her cousin. Their faces are serious as t
Cora The images of Ariel’s future come in quick flashes, and somehow I get the impression that the Goddess is eager to share these glimpses of her life. The ones that come first are what I sort of expected, especially after seeing some images of Rafe’s childhood and hearing about the ones that
“We are not,” Cora scoffs, gently taking Ariel into her arms as Sinclair and I laugh. Roger grins, leaning forward to kiss me on the cheek before passing Jesse to me. “You know I’m kidding, right, Ells?” he whispers. I smile at my brother-in-law and gently pat his cheek. “When in doubt, Roger,”
Ella Three weeks later – Ariel was born under a waning quarter moon, not a new moon like her brother and her cousin – I stand anxiously in the woods, my little girl held tight in my arms. “I’m sensing some anxiety,” Cora says, grinning at me with a little too much glee as she comes up to my sid
“Oh my god,” I say, the words spilling out of my mouth. “Oh my god,” I sit up straight, staring at Henry, my eyes flicking to his legs – because honestly, I don’t even notice his chair anymore, or think of him at all as someone whose abilities are hindered. Or of me as someone who is able to do an