Nothing had changed during my time away from my old pack. Everything about me was different, but the large town I stood in remained the same. The large, southern houses hadn't changed, with their long porches and creaking rocking chairs. The grass surrounding the houses was clipped short, a brilliant shade of emerald under the blistering sun. Kids screamed and laughed as they ran through a sprinkler in one of the front yards, and I remembered how Alyssa and I had once done the same. Dragonflies darted around, their slender bodies whizzing past my face. I stood in front of my old house, looking up at the freshly painted porch. On a rather boring day where the grief of losing my Dad had become too strong, Mom had insisted we repaint the porch. She let me pick any color I wanted, and grinned as I picked a light shade of lavender. I wasn't sure why the newly painted porch sent a shiver of pain down my spine. Part of me expected it to remain the same, that light shade of lavender. <
As my head snapped up and I looked into those painfully familiar eyes, I hurried to compose myself. Lighter than Liam's eyes, Atlas's blue eyes were nearing the verge of white--like a sky filled with fat tufts of clouds.My heart hammered in response, but I refused to look anywhere other than his eyes. I knew that if I traced the grooves on his face, or looked over each strand of platinum hair, that I would be lost entirely. I had never held so much hate for the mate-bond until now. Even after everything Atlas had done, the mate-bond was still working to pull us together. I clicked my teeth together and fought against the pull, grimacing when one of Atlas's blonde eyebrows raised."A stray kitten wandering around my house." Atlas commented, the corner of his sinfully full lips twitching. His voice had been everything I remembered, and so much more. His voice alone could be my undoing, if only he knew the right words to say. Deep, and somewhat ra
Dinner finished quickly and I all but leaped at the chance to leave. Dustin enjoyed the irritated looks Atlas would give him if he got too close to me. I found the entire thing annoying, as I knew it was only the mate-bond tugging on Atlas's heart--or lack of. I could feel his eyes on me the entire time, even as we left the house.The empty house Atlas had placed us in was four houses down from his, and eight houses down from my old home. I had vehemently declined when we were offered a suite within the packhouse. Tyra and I walked down the street while Dustin pulled the car into the driveway. The house was only a quarter of the size of Atlas's home, but I could care less about looks. The outside of the house was painted a light shade of mint green, strange but it suited the old house nicely.The inside had been fully furnished, and I wondered who lived here at one point. Tyra bounded up the stairs and claimed one of the bedrooms, shouting that there
Seems like partying isn't really your thing." A familiar voice called out.I turned and met Duke's hazel eyes, void of the malice that used to haunt me. Duke stood against the doorframe; his arms crossed over his chest. He watched me with that blank, guarded gaze. It felt like being looked at under a microscope, like Duke was trying to figure out what made me tick."How would you know?" I asked, turning my attention away from Tyra and Dustin. Tyra was dancing with a guy her age, dark hair and rich, golden skin. Dustin was still in the midst of a heated conversation with a group of guys. Duke was right, partying wasn't my thing."Well, you are just standing here." Duke shrugged; the corners of his lips twitched.The Duke I remember wasn't so solemn, so--in control. Duke had once been the worst of my bullies, constantly spilling a wide array of liquids on me. In sixth grade, he had spilled fruit punch all over my wh
The three of us headed to training shortly after. Where Liam's training grounds had been by his house, Atlas's was on the other side of town. A big, brick building with huge windows that let copious amounts of light stream inside, sat on one side of the road. The building must have been built while I was gone, as I was sure I had never seen it before. We pulled into the large parking spot, fitting between two other vehicles.People were already lingering around the large room, emerging from what looked like separate locker rooms. Most stood in small groups, talking amongst themselves. Naturally, eyes turned to us as we walked in, though most seemed not to notice out presence. The floors were lined with a thin padding. Falling would hurt and definitely bruise, but it wouldn't heard nearly as bad as slamming into hard flooring.Tyra and I tossed our bags against the wall, and Dustin followed suit. More and more people were emerging from the locker
Her curly hair was pulled up into a ponytail, and she had traded her workout clothes for a tight tank top and a pair of shorts. Her breasts spilled over the top of the tank top, and I couldn't ignore the familiar and intimate way she grinned at Atlas, placing a manicured hand on his bicep."I saw you watching us train." She squealed, "I'm so glad you came."I walked away as Alyssa continued speaking with Atlas, inching closer and closer to him. Despite the size of the training building, I felt as though the room were too small. The intimate look on Alyssa's face was the same one Michelle had when she looked at Atlas. The sight strengthened my resolve, and again, I reminded myself why I had come here.Duke stopped by the house later in the evening to tell us about an event some of the townspeople were throwing. Much like Liam, Atlas knew his people needed some down time after the rogue attack. Tensions were still high, but he couldn't let
Dustin finally let me go when we entered the kitchen, where Tyra stood trying to conceal her earsplitting grin. As a quiet snicker sounded from behind me, I spun around to face Dustin. He was clearly trying to hold back a smile, but was failing miserably. The humor in his eyes was enough to chip away at my anger. "Come on, Rae. You know he deserved it." Dustin chuckled, a lopsided smile on his face. "Actually, he deserved worse.""You should've given me more than five minutes." I replied, lifting my eyebrow at him. "Somehow I'm sure this won't be the last altercation between Atlas and I.""I hope not. Did you see his face after you punched him? I swear the bastard fell in love." Tyra giggled from behind me, "Besides, we actually gave you seven."I ignored Tyra's comment about Atlas falling in love, but couldn't wipe the memory of his face from my mind. I've never had someone look at me that way, with such b
"You're not going to tell me what that was about, are you?" Tyra chuckled dryly, raising her eyebrow in my direction."Not at the moment, no." I shook my head.I wasn't sure what to make of it myself, and the last thing I wanted to do was jump to conclusions. Michelle and Atlas could have easily broken up, or maybe she found her mate and left him. That thought sent a wave of sickening approval through me. It wasn't uncommon for mates to start families early. The other option was one I didn't want to think about, that the child she carried might belong to Atlas. It took a minute to force the thoughts from my mind, bottling them down tightly.I gave Liam a call that night, giving him a rundown of everything that happened this week. I could've had Dustin make the call, but I felt like Liam and I were growing distant. Things had been strained since he lied and sent Atlas away, but I was beginning to no longer blame him. I conveniently l
The words had hardly left my mouth before my world shifted. I was slammed against the rough bark of a tree, and grimaced as it scratched my back. The pain was replaced by sparks, and the thick scent of Atlas. Pine needles and male musk, rich and earthy as it invaded my senses. Atlas's face was inches from my own, one of his large hands placed over my open mouth. I had never been close enough to see the depth of Atlas's eyes before, but stifled a ragged breath as I lost myself in them. Light shades of blue mixed with white tones, reminding me of clear sheets of ice."Don't say those words, kitten." Atlas spoke lowly, those captivating eyes burning into my own. His large chest moved against my own, his breathing heavy as the mate-bond between us pulsed like a living thing. As quickly as I was sucked into his eyes and his warm chest, anger flared to life in my stomach. The sparks that danced along my skin reminded me of the fire that once pulsed in my veins. I wasn't