Kane’s POV I was incensed by the attack on my Luna, even though I barely tolerated her. Mason was what you might call a “work in progress” in my torture chamber – the very worst part of my dungeon which Amy would never get to see, in any capacity. Being jittery about what might be going on with the Alpha King didn’t help. Should I have trusted Jake and Velma? Was my Beta up to the job? Why wasn’t he in regular communication with me? Round and round, on and on. Then the message came, via a truculent Jake’s mobile. It appeared he’d changed sides yet again – no surprise there! The Alpha King wanted to meet me in combat, wolf to wolf, to settle the matter once and for all. Was he for real? Could I take him? I suspected he’d let me win the arm wrestle. I emailed back, saying it had to be on my turf or nowhere. I wasn’t being told what to do. And I added the caveat that I must hear from Jarvis by midday or else. This was frankly ridiculous and I wanted confirmation before asking about
Amy’s POVI wasn’t sure what to think any more. Sure, I felt like Alpha Kane’s partner in this business of righting an old wrong. Only Selene knew about my new position. The rest of the pack seemed to think I was somewhere between a concubine and a slave and it stung, especially since I was often to be seen wending my way to the asshole’s Suite close to twilight.The old rule about doing so had been quashed, but it seemed to amuse him to think of something crucial after sunset.Beta Jarvis was often around, having accompanied our honoured, if unwanted guest on the journey from Rhode Island to Portland. I seldom saw the Alpha King himself, though considered that a good thing.Jake hadn’t returned and nor had Velma. That was fine with me. I considered the Crescent Moon pack my new family and was hoping to conceive, if Kane ever touched me in that way again. I knew he had been ill, but … Was his Luna to blame? Had she warned him off?It was next to unthinkable, though stranger things had
Amy’s POV If ever Kane had an incentive to give his all, this was it. The two pups were very weak but expected to survive, unlike their mother. I couldn’t cry for some reason, even though I felt immensely sad and hollow inside. Selene hadn’t had much of a life. That was why our Alpha – hers and mine – had to succeed, if only to give other females a better chance. All other females, maybe even slaves. I hadn’t voiced that to him, though I was just about to, along with the worst possible news. He took it well, yet paled considerably. None of us had really expected this. Healthy and indulged, there was no reason to suspect she wouldn’t sail through it only to become as fashion conscious and grouchy as ever. I had supposed she would be dieting for quite some time to resume her shape. Fighting had been low down among her priorities. “No stamina,” Lycan Faro said, on being sent word. He was making arrangements to leave Rhode Island – or wherever he was – immediately. I couldn’t help bu
Amy’s POV The pain was colossal, taking over every part of my body, worse even than when Satyr bit my private parts beneath the bikini line. Nothing must show, however scantily clad I was in the future. Why, I didn’t know. Shouldn’t it be something to boast about? Jarvis. What had he been thinking? Did he hope to best Michael Satyr without even a drop of Lycan blood in his veins? I knew he was an excellent fighter by more than just reputation having seen him on the training grounds but the Alpha King was something else, according to Kane’s sister, and I believed her. The mate bond was well and truly severed now between the Beta and me. I felt tremendously sorry for Chrissy, bereft so early. She had guts to confront our nemesis with only a rolling pin and I wasn’t about to stop her. Females were at their fiercest when it came to their loved ones, and I should know. Seeing Kane whole for the moment yet next in line to be slaughtered had me wondering what on earth I could do to save t
Amy’s POVThere were two of them, incarcerated in a dungeon far worse than the one in which I’d been held. I went to see for myself; I had to know every inch of pack territory, inside and out. That was why I’d spent some time with the border patrols. Kane hadn’t objected and, even if he had, I had my own power now, not to mention the powers to crush his resistance.I loved him too much for that and, thankfully, it wasn’t necessary.The idea came to me when I was out in the fields beyond the forest, a proud Darius by my side. What if we were to make Black and Satyr fight each other? I knew who would win, of course. Though it could only help Alpha Kane if his awesome – no, awful – rival were exhausted by yet another bout. Then I thought about using chemicals to stifle Michael’s wolf or wolves.Fair fight be damned. We couldn’t afford to take chances, especially when there was Lisa to recover.That brother of mine. What was he up to now?In fairness, Velma had no idea. I hadn’t interroga
Lisa’s POV I began to wish for my old, boring and quiet life. No wonder they say it changes when you reach eighteen. Mine certainly had. “Let me go,” I pleaded with him at least three times a day. Jake wasn’t listening, though I doubted he had any real aim in his head other than to sell me. “You’ll fetch a high price in some clans,” he said, finally. So now I knew for sure. “Kane will match anything they can offer and top it.” “What about Noah?” he taunted. It upset me all over again. I didn’t think he had the wherewithal and, even if he did, his family would never allow my ‘ransom’ to be paid by him. “Why are you such a beast? I don’t know what I ever saw in you.” “Careful, Lisa. We have a long journey ahead of us, wherever we end up. If you’re not compliant with keeping your mouth shut I may find another way to occupy it.” “As I said, a beast.” “Didn’t you and your mate ever try a sixty-nine?” “If you’re trying to shock me, it won’t work,” I told him. “Really? I never w
Amy’s POV In the end there was no head to head between Satyr and Black and not because Kane had put his foot down. Someone had let the uncontrollable vampires loose – and my number one suspect was Ingrid, doing the new Delta’s bidding. Diana had savaged the medic and he lingered for days, turned yet dying. Go figure. Jake said something cryptic about a diary being truer to life than anyone knew. I thought he was just rambling and ignored him. Mina and her father had attempted to drink Lycan blood and were not quite themselves, like Michael. Time for me to turn the screw. Taunting him verbally, I told him Lori had been practising her sharpshooting. “She’s still not proficient,” I said, “but wants to upgrade to a living target.” Prodding him in his chest I added, “That’s you.” He didn’t seem surprised I would help the female who had shot me. Maybe he was brilliant at hiding his feelings. I believed that right up until the moment he began to howl in extreme pain. Had I forgotten to
Lisa’s POVNichola intruded on my leisure time with Mom. To my shame I tried to cut her off until she told me the pack’s future was at risk.What could I do?Rene was staring into space – more accurately, she was looking at the picture of the Moon Goddess on the wall – and, out of the blue, she spoke.“Save Amy,” she gasped, convulsing and clutching her chest. “You must.”I didn’t want to leave my mom, but knew Maggie could be trusted to care for this woman old before her time.Something was nagging at me which I sensed may be vital to Rene’s well-being going forward. Then I had it. Mom was not the most talkative being these days yet always managed a phrase or two whenever my wolf emerged, a rare occurrence at best.She had once confided her own was slow to develop language skills. Was her wolf pure Micmac? It was no use speculating now when I needed to act.Sprinting to Alpha Kane’s office – Amy had her own – I saw that the guard was missing. On a break? I was debating whether to ale
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