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Amy’s POVI really hoped no-one was eavesdropping as I used every choice expletive I could think of to tell the asshole what I thought of him. When he admitted it was Lisa who had come up with the idea, I finally realised I’d made an enemy there. That was such a pity.It wouldn’t stop me seeing Kayleigh, though.Glancing up, I saw a figure dodge behind a billowing white curtain. Always the purist, our Lisa. I couldn’t work out how things had turned so sour between us, or when.That explained the ‘picnic’ with heater on the largest balcony in the pack, which led off one of the bigger meeting rooms. The sugary treats were a bonus; I reckoned I’d earned them.The Alpha was sweating and I knew why. I was the one with a strange inability to warm up quickly after being exposed to cold temperatures. This was a concession too far for him. He must want me to agree to this very badly.Still shaking, though not from the cold, I bit into a muffin. The taste of it took away some of my shock. Perha
Amy’s POV I didn’t realise how prolonged proceedings were going to be, how uncertain my own position in the interim. So I contented myself with spending more time in the nursery. I had a responsibility to Selene’s pups, as well. Dan still hated me, I felt sure. Yet, asking around discreetly, I discovered he was no better with the pack’s nursemaids. Did he have a down on anyone lower in rank, even at this tender age? Maybe it was a Lycan thing. If so, I would have to keep an eye on Dora. It was Lisa who broke the news to me. Lycan Faro was coming for the “festivities” – her word, not mine. I watched Kayleigh interacting with the pups and couldn’t fault Kane’s sister for bringing her here regularly. Lisa probably had an ulterior motive. I saw how often her eyes were fixed on Dan. Lycan blood. Would it affect Dora like this when she came of age? Her twin seemed to be an exception. What if she developed his tendencies; what if he wanted her to? I shuddered. My own pups might be at ris
Amy’s POVI was based in a room with a tastefully laminated sign which read: ‘Songbird’. Grinding my teeth wasn’t good for me but it was turning into an unfortunate – or should that be fortunate? – habit. Toothache may not be such a bad thing in these circumstances.If I had to plead illness, so be it.The door was permanently open and I kept trying to guess which of my visitors was the important one in terms of impressing. Not the giggly teenager who hadn’t found her wolf yet, surely? Hopefully not the warrior with the watchful eyes who kept scoping the environment, usually coming back to rest on my cleavage.I wasn’t wearing a gown, though the dress was lower cut than I had realised.“Trying to influence your peers?” Kane mocked me, earlier. “But which ones?”I took no notice and slapped his hand away.We’d shared the same Suite, just not the same bed, and now he was ogling me in the full length mirror. I never liked being in the pleasure room for long. It held so many bad memories.
Amy’s POVMy weakness is spiders. I don’t like killing them, yet I can’t bear the sight of them running. When I was unmated I used to check my bedding every night in case one of them was lurking beneath, waiting to wander over my body in the night.Kane was likely to have placed me in a roomful had I been honest. Imagine being rescued from a particularly hairy one by a leering Lycan while Jake grinned and cracked his knuckles.The Alpha was keeping tight-lipped about the activity for the second day. Apparently, we would each be based in the same three rooms – minus the tacky signs, of course – while fascinated bystanders ogled us. We were no better than goldfish or zoo animals.And how could we be competitive when we didn’t know each other’s score to date?I didn’t even have to ask about that one. Once we were gathered in his office, we each received a slip of paper. I had scored a seven, Zena a six and Sharon an infuriating eight.“Day two will be a lesson in endurance,” he announced
Kane’s POVI grabbed a handful of salted caramel popcorn. I really should be working, but this was a big part of it. Or so I tried to convince myself. Having a Luna to share my burden … Wait, who was I kidding? Amy always did more.My workload hadn’t doubled as I’d claimed. It just meant the buck stopped with me again, as it should do.We didn’t have time for this. Fuck my stupid sister and her little ploy.See how she liked this one.I caught my breath when I saw Amy bending over the table, compliant for once.I couldn’t resist. “What a view.”“How much longer, asshole?”“Until your visitor arrives? Expected imminently. Or did you mean, can you change position?”“Pretty please?”“No,” I said.“Jerk,” she muttered.“You really don’t want to greet him topless, do you?”“Him? Kane you promised me. Everyone will start thinking I’m a slut again. Do you know what Sharon had the nerve to say to me yesterday? She asked if I’d had a request for that song by Wheatus. I pretended not to underst
Lisa’s POVIt was all going wrong. At least my mate had the decency to tell me he would be with her, Amy.I burst into Kane’s office without knocking.“How could you?” I cried.“Sit down, Lisa. I’ve been expecting you,” he said.“I prefer to stand.”He shrugged. “Suit yourself. This could take a while. I have calls to make.”I flopped onto the couch, wondering if I would ever feel happy again.“So, who’s in the lead after two days?” I asked.“Guess.”“What a farce!”“That’s what Amy said about the whole thing.”“Who are you phoning?”“Alpha Philip.”“What about?”“He called me.”This was getting me nowhere but I wasn’t about to let him off the hook.The conversation was boring at first, but I pricked up my ears at the mention of a new “vampire menace” in the area. Alpha Philip was old enough to be our father and used some odd expressions. Still, it was kind of him to call and could prove useful.I often thought of Mina. If I left a window open tonight, maybe she would find her way to
Amy’s POV I was still in the pack’s infirmary when they brought in a distressed Zena. She was making even less sense than usual, wittering on about “them bloodsuckers”. I turned my face away, too exhausted to deal with this right now. Kane had been to see me with some flowers. Did he know nothing about how to treat his mate? All they did was make me sneeze and I got the nurse to dump them. I really hoped he wasn’t making progress with that Luna calendar, even if it was for his eyes only as he had claimed. Though it could hardly be described as raunchy. It made me laugh to hear Lisa was confined to quarters. Serve her right. And the news was just filtering through that the Delta was missing. “I saw them take him,” Zena insisted, a short time later. She was now fit enough to be discharged, unlike me. “Do me a favour,” I urged my new personal assistant. “Comb my hair before you go.” She beamed as if the very thought of that was a pleasure to her. "You have such a sheen, Luna. I
Amy’s POVSo now we knew. What a mess. Grebe was insisting he’d gotten her with pup. I looked at him as if he was crazy, but Kane seemed to think such a thing was possible: the knowing. Had it worked with me? I wondered.The border guard said he wanted to see Zena to apologise.“I’ll consider it,” the Alpha said.“Only if she agrees.”“Of course, Luna. Nothing excuses what I did. I don’t expect we’ll ever form a relationship, but if there is offspring, I’d like regular access.”“To a hybrid or hybrids?” I asked.Maybe I was being a little harsh. But rape is rape.He shrugged. “Still mine,” he muttered.I couldn’t warm to him and yet I despised him less for that.“How could you ever have suspected Jake?” I stormed to Kane once Grebe had departed.“Given his track record, it was a fair assumption.”“You mean with Lisa, don’t you? Why is she being so difficult? Do we need to contain Blaylock some more?”“No!”His forceful reply shocked me. That was when I knew. Satyr’s influence had outl
Kane’s POV It soon became clear that Miss McGregor wasn’t a rogue she-wolf. She explained that she’d been heading back to her pack above the border in Canada when her car got a flat. Jake had offered her a lift when he spotted her hitchhiking. She said he’d been on his own and never mentioned another female. I would question him later. Expecting my Luna to burst through the door and start what the humans called a cat fight, I can’t say I was disappointed when she didn’t. After a brief lecture on how lucky Miss McGregor was not to be considered guilty by association, I stood up and looked her in the eye. “You can go,” I announced. She cocked her head on one side, regarding me critically, and I knew it wouldn’t be quite so easy to dismiss someone like her. Not without proceeding to formally reject her. Faith Isla McGregor beat me to it, not even hesitating over my surname and the name of my pack. I couldn’t believe the nerve of that she-wolf. It didn’t seem to cause her much pain,
Lisa’s POVI was pleased to see my brother so happy and even unbent enough to invite Amy to tea. Kayleigh was there, moping a little, but she brightened up when she saw the Luna. Noah was supervising the border guards. Again. I’d pouted a lot until he told me Kane was thinking of appointing another Delta.He swore me to secrecy afterwards, but Amy knew. Of course, she would.“Does this mean there will be two Alphas again?” I asked, when my daughter was paying a visit to the bathroom.“No chance,” she said. “But it’s cool. Kay looks much better.”“Do you think so? I wish she would cheer up.”“She’s been through a lot.”Did the Luna think I didn’t know that?“Have a scone. Fresh from Ray’s bakery.” My visitor hesitated. “Go on. Take one at random. I haven’t poisoned them all,” I joked. To prove that, I selected one with blueberry jam inside and took a small bite. “Mm, delicious. I don’t know why I didn’t think of commissioning your stepfather to bake my daughter’s special cake.”“He’s n
Kane’s POV“If I’ve won, I want you to … ”Amy whispered the rest.“What? No way,” I said, and went on to issue a stern warning.Just for a second there I was tempted to cheat, claim she'd lost. Until –“Be nice,” she hissed, putting emphasis on the second word and fiddling with the knot on her blindfold.I watched her struggle for a while – why didn’t she just lift the whole thing over her head? – before going across to the monitor and calling up the incriminating evidence.“You won’t like it,” I warned her, again.That had been a part of my reply when she said, “Show me the footage of you and Omega Sharon. All of it.”As if there had been other encounters in the past.The truth was laid bare, making her huff with contempt.“Satisfied, Luna?”“I thought as much. She was faking it. On your orders?”“Yeah,” I managed, feeling like I’d just crawled out from under a rock and couldn’t find my way back there.Exposed, just like Amy, yet in a very different way.“She must have told everyone
Amy’s POVIt soon became apparent that Jake was lost to us. I missed Ingrid, too. Was he treating her right? I hoped so.Mom was inconsolable for a whole week and then, in typical Velma fashion, she moved on. That must have been something to do with Ray. One for the homilies, he was. She kept twittering on about my brother making his own way in the world.As far as I was concerned, he’d always been rogue material.I was biding my time to catch Kane off guard and then I would strike. In the nicest possible way, of course.It wasn’t long before we were back to sharing the same bed again. His hands kept straying to my tummy. So much for emergency contraception.I’d been feeling really sick in the mornings, something I’d not experienced much the last time around. Making him wait fit in well with my plan.Coaxing him back to our quarters that afternoon, I had a surprise in store in the form of a new game.This time, my intention was to win, though I allowed him a say in the ‘rules’ we were
Lisa’s POVSomething was off about the atmosphere in the nursery. Dan usually got the blame but this seemed different. Even more unwholesome, if that was the right word to use about my only nephew.I didn’t visit the pups with my daughter any more. She was sensitive and tended to kick off if she knew we were going there.Noah and Kayleigh were closer than ever. I tried not to resent their easy relationship while I had to work at it. Maybe she sensed my annoyance and that was why she clung to the Delta when he came home to us. Or could it be that because I was always around she missed him more?I told myself that was it even though it bugged me. A lot.Picking up Dan’s rattle one day, I felt a surge of power. Static electricity, I thought. It didn’t plug in, that was for sure.He went ape until I gave it back to him.Dora wasn’t like that. She didn’t seem to mind when he took her toys off her. Maybe she was in awe of him – or frightened. I couldn’t be sure and knew better than to menti
Amy’s POV The pups were hard work but I became engrossed in what was mainly pandering to their needs. It gave me time to think. I didn’t miss the decisions I had to make, the daily squabbles which had to be sorted between maids and Omegas. They were trivial in the scheme of things. It made me smile to think of the Alpha dealing with petty rows about dirty looks and the more serious allegations of slacking, which tended to be unfounded for the most part. Some of the older servants had heart conditions and they needed more regular breaks. If he reinstated punishment in what had been CC’s room I knew I wouldn’t be able to sleep at night in that same bed. Yet I couldn’t stop him. I had no say and wouldn’t be aware of anything like that given that I was stuck here for the most part, even for meals. He deserves to know. Misha, now’s not a good time. Do it. Or Rhett will tell him. Are you threatening me? My wolf didn’t answer, retreating to sulk, presumably. I knew she was right. The
Amy’s POVSomething was going on. Something I didn’t understand. People were murmuring to each other and occasionally gazing at me. Was I paranoid? This had happened to a human at school, all because she had a fondness for snacks between meals.Suzie’s a renowned pie maker these days. At least she was.They’re not sniggering any more.Someone asked Chrissy in a loud voice if there was any Sharon fruit, to general titters. I didn’t get the joke. At least not until later when she knocked on the door to our Suite.I was tossing and turning in what had been the pleasure room.“You sent for me, Alpha Kane. And here I am.”“Give me a twirl,” I heard him say.What? I wanted to jam the pillow over my head, but I was curious.“Do you like it? I sewed it myself in my spare time.”“Very fetching.”There he went again with those old-fashioned words. Was I the catalyst, being around Mina and not ‘suffering’ myself. Still, I was proud of my extensive vocabulary so perhaps it was less noticeable wit
Kane’s POVCC told me more than once that a good whipping would convince anyone not to re-offend. I didn’t subscribe to that notion. My belief was that discipline should be relative.Amy had failed as a Luna when she allowed the rogue she-wolf to abduct her without a fight. I intended to pit her against Lori, an up and coming female warrior, who had once shot her by mistake. That should serve to punish both of them.Maybe I would sell tickets, for charity of course.My Luna had betrayed me by succumbing to my former Beta’s kiss. At the same event, maybe I could have my pack members – men and women – line up to claim her lips. Standing up for hours, hungry and thirsty, her mouth swollen and parched. That would teach her.And now I had found the blister pack containing something which fuelled my fury yet further.A public whipping seemed highly appropriate.I knew I would put her through none of the above. She had always been mine to ruin.If it wouldn’t hurt our twin girls I would have
Kane’s POVIf I had to absorb Blaylock, surely Garrett would help me control him? I could only hope. Asking Rhett would just depress me, because I already knew the answer.My priority was to rescue my cousin’s girl. We had a date to watch a movie for fuck’s sake. And Noah would surely not survive a prolonged invasion even though he’d been doing better recently. I needed my Delta and Kayleigh needed her stepdaddy.As for Lisa, words failed me. Her scream had alerted us and yet she must have been the one to lure the mage upstairs. My guess was she’d visited the lab and seen him.I was hoping to save him, too, if only by hosting the Lycan wolf once more. Though the mage was way down the pecking order. Probably last.In fairness, it didn’t seem as if Amy and Jarvis were lovers or even planning to be. Yet the crisis had elevated a level. Maybe they were just biding their time.I knew I couldn’t afford to think like that once Blaylock was in situ. The ancient Lycan would probably pounce on