Amy’s POVI went to see Kane in the dungeon, finding no pleasure in the irony of it. We’d begun this way and now an ending was in sight. Trembling, I ordered him to be cut down. The whites of his eyes were red, though I knew there’d been no vampire incursion. At least, not one which appeared in the jailer’s log.Trying not to worry too much about conspiracies, I asked myself once more why there was so little blood on him and very few stains on his clothes.We took the elevator, accompanied by a stern looking Darius. I had never felt less like groping anyone.I asked the Gamma to wait outside, assuring him it wouldn’t take long. In fact, I had no way of knowing that.“Take a shower,” I ordered. “And no funny business.”I wasn’t entirely sure what I meant by that.He raised a brow.“Not even for the cameras?”I shoved him, harder than I had meant to, and he stumbled. It gave me no satisfaction whatsoever.Then I sat down to wait.A naked Kane emerged, rubbing himself down with a towel.
Lisa’s POV I’d received the most devastating news, having taken the opportunity to consult the pack doctor. Noah took it much better than me. I expected he would apply for a second, fertile mate now. But he didn’t. My kind and thoughtful mate, who was prepared to take me back after everything that had happened, even came up with an eye-popping solution to our ‘problem’. The photo he snapped of me said it all; my mind was well and truly boggled. He said we could take steps to adopt Kayleigh. With both Alphas currently unable to give their consent, he assumed two Betas would be enough. I was doubtful, but Noah was right. “Congratulations,” Jarvis said. Francis just smiled. “We were hoping someone would come forward,” he said. Maybe things happen for a reason, Trudie’s untimely death and my barren state coming to light had allowed Kayleigh to be saved from the shifter orphanage. I hoped the little girl would see it like that when she grew up and not hold anything against my family.
Amy’s POVLisa had been telling the truth about Kane’s condition. It was definitely him; he looked far too pale to be a replicant. Beta Jarvis assured me he had been checked out, discreetly of course.“Is there nothing we can do to rouse him from this stupor?” I asked, anguished as I held that clammy hand.“It’s beyond science, apparently, Alpha Amy.”“Go on, cheer me up, why don’t you?” The sob caught me unawares. Had I really shown such weakness in front of Jarvis? I was past caring about that. “What am I going to tell his twin daughters?”His protective instincts were for Amy the she-wolf as much as the Alpha female.“Get some rest. You’ve been here all night.”I shook my head, far too stubborn for my own good.“Ever since we arrived, in fact.”Ariadne. In her way she was as unobtrusive as Rene.“You must be exhausted,” I said. Though she wasn’t a pack member, I regarded her as a friend. “Have someone prepare a guest room.”“Already done,” the Beta said.I raised my eyes to his tan
Amy’s POV I knew it was the real Jarvis when he kissed me, feeling the sparks all the way to my toes. Was this how the Moon Goddess managed to control us? I had never felt so conflicted. Yet I decided then and there just to enjoy these moments, knowing they were unlikely to last. We were on the road in a vehicle I had never seen before. As the miles sped past, I touched my tummy. What would become of us? Don’t give up. Ariadne’s on the case. Stacey? Thank the Goddess! I think that might be premature. Stay positive. Our friend has always been the real power behind the throne. I knew it! Jake’s shadowing you. Pretend not to notice. Am I being spirited away by a clone? Unlikely. Can’t you tell? No bot ever performed mouth-to-mouth like that. I had to ask him. “Do you follow the Moon God?” Jarvis shook his head. “Believe it or not, I’m still a romantic,” he said. Tell that to Chrissy, I thought. We holed up in a motel of all places. The sign outside indicated this was ‘The M
Kane’s POVI knew I would need therapy eventually. Right now, that was the least of my worries. If Sloane had harmed her in any way I would butcher him and face up to the inquest later.Even an Alpha had to answer to the Werewolf Elders.I needed my mate for all kinds of reasons, practical and otherwise. She was intelligent, funny, beautiful and about to become a mother in a few moons’ time.“She’ll be fine,” Ariadne assured me.I wasn’t so certain.“I’ll not rest until she’s back where she belongs.”“Alpha Kane, did you know that Agatha, our – er – esteemed leader was of the opinion Amy needed to be around you until the danger was past?”“And not beyond?” I snarled.“I think she was wrong. She’s not your cure, she’s your other half.”“Quite clever, for a go-between.” Her face fell. I apologised. I never liked hurting older women, in any way. “You were her trusted confidante. Be mine. In Amy’s absence I need all the help I can get.” I’d done it again. “That came out wrong. Cut me a li
Amy’s POVIt was a sticky situation, but I knew exactly what to do.Playing it cool alongside Jake, I listened intently, hoping I wouldn’t have to lie. Answering to humans wasn’t high on my agenda. I certainly didn’t want to betray my shifter origins and bring down all kinds of shit on my new pack.I belonged there now, no matter what my brother might think or want.“Say, I remember you.”This from a gum chewing cop. Strangely, he was looking at Jake, not my legs.“Is there a problem, officer?”“Jailbreak,” he said, his jaws continuing to move in a leisurely way. “No need to panic, miss.”I sat up, wishing my dress wasn’t snagged on something, probably a button in the seat. It was preventing me from covering my thighs and probably highlighting my bump.To my surprise, he showed no interest, unlike his partner who came strolling up to say he was taking a break. He hitched up his pants, his protruberant eyes zoning in on my exposed flesh.“You look familiar. Pass this way often?”It was
Kane’s POV Call me vindictive, but I knew now what Selene had meant by her ‘green eyed monster’. Had my Beta and the mother-to-be of my pups lied to me? Were they carrying on behind my back all along? Could there be doubts over my paternity? One way or another I would get to the bottom of it all. I had taken steps to reintegrate Garrett into good old Rhett via a combination of intensive therapy – the pack doctor put me in touch with someone and we communicated mainly over the phone and online – and a trial drug. So what if I was a kind of guinea pig, as the humans called it. All in a good cause. I didn’t want to destroy that fiercer facet of my wolf. I might need it someday. In my opinion, Rhett had always been too gentle. Misha, Amy’s guiding force – if you could call her that and I didn’t mean to be judgemental – was scatterbrained and troubled in her own way. What a pair we made. As Alphas, we deserved better. Yet I was forgetting, she wouldn’t be my co-ruler for long. Consign
Amy’s POVI came to hours later, disorientated and wondering why I was in such agonising pain. Clutching my nose, I was relieved to find it wasn’t broken. I’m not vain but it would be hard to admit I was no oil painting when I had been used to the opposite. Even Jake had acknowledged that much and without being pushed.It was disconcerting not to be in the medical room. This was a double bed I was occupying.Goddess, I was in the Alpha’s Suite.I remembered being hit and, dimly, who by. It was hard to believe at first. Something or someone must have fired up Chrissy. Was she acting under Kane’s orders?No, I doubted he would have sanctioned that kind of violence before I was inside his quarters. Our bedroom. Once. I swallowed. If I were honest with myself, I couldn’t blame the former Omega I’d helped raise to the status of cook before tempting her mate to be unfaithful.What had I been thinking?Hearing voices, one obviously masculine the other shrill, I ducked beneath the covers. I h