*Claire's P.O.V*
We sat in silence for the next few hours. I was doing everything I could to silence my wolf's perverted thoughts. I couldn't help but find them equally tempting as well. I couldn't stand how the mate bond made me act. I had just met this man last night and I was already willing to crawl into his bed.
Something had to change. I wasn't sure how long I would last until I finally caved in.
I pushed any thoughts about Alpha Killian out of my head and tried my best to think of anything else. I wondered what Hazel's mate was like, what she might be doing at this time. I wondered where Brandon's mate could possibly be and why he hadn't found her at the ball.
My thoughts consumed me for awhile, and I had hardly noticed as we hopped on an exit from the highway.
"Are we here?" I asked softly, not daring to turn my eyes to Alpha Killian. I didn't want to deal with the feelings his silver gaze would provoke, and my wolf w
It was only another hour or two until we finally made it to the Blood Moon Pack's territory. I found myself scanning the forest through the sedan window, wondering how close we were. The ride was silent, but it was a comfortable silence.We finally made it to the center of some town and I found myself looking around excitedly. Although we traveled for the Ball every year, we never got the chance to actually explore. I frowned as we drove through the town, watching the red brick buildings fade into the distance. We traveled down a wide road that led directly into the woods.The sound of Alpha Killian's voice made me jump, but I kept my gaze on the trees that flew by and the fact that I could see a rust colored wolf easily keeping up with the sedan. After another thirty minutes we drove through an open gate. I looked on ahead in awe. The Blood Moon Pack looked like an enormous town hidden deep in the woods. The giant silver gate at the entrance could easily f
I slept peacefully with pickles in the fluffy white bed regardless of my circumstances, last night was free of nightmares for some odd reason. While the lack of nightmares confused me, I was grateful. My real life had become a nightmare, the last thing I needed was for my demons to haunt me as I slept.I spent the day in my house-like bedroom, refusing to leave even for food or water. The last thing I wanted was to see Alpha Killian's face. I still couldn't understand if he had some kind of mood disorder or if he just wanted to wait until I was on his territory to be an absolute dick to me.Sierra whimpered at the thought of our mate hurting us. She had already begun to grow attached to his strong face and charcoal eyes. I on the other hand was more sure than ever about my distaste for mates. This was exactly what i had been worried about.I could tell it was late in the afternoon as the sun began to set through my window and the sky began to dim. A
*Kira's p.o.v*I left Claire to go change for dinner and made my way to Killian's bedroom where I'm sure he was busy sulking.I knocked on his bedroom door a few times and finally decided to let myself in when he didn't answer. And there my brother was, the big bad Blood Moon Alpha, sitting on his bed brooding over a hundred and ten pound girl."Was me not answering not a good enough reason for you to go the fuck away?" My brother snarled, which would scare most people, but he didn't fool me."Look, me and Travis are taking Claire to dinner with us." I rolled my eyes at him. As big and scary as he looked, he sure acted like a kid sometimes."You'll do no such thing." He snapped, standing up from his bed as he glowered at me. My annoyance with him continued to reach new heights."Oh I am. She already hates you for locking her up for three days, which was a dick move if I do say so myself. Taking her to dinner will give
We pulled into the driveway and I stumbled through the front door of the house, refusing Kira's help."I got this, I got this." I slurred, my finger pointed at her chest. She raised her hands in defeat and tried to stifle her smile.As we walked through the door I frowned when I didn't see Alpha Killian in sight."We're hoooome!" I sang drunkenly, placing my hand against the wall to steady myself.I smiled to myself as I heard Alpha Killian's heavy footsteps coming down the stairs.*Alpha Killian's p.o.v*I spent an hour or so dealing with the fresh batch of rogues my Beta had brought in for questioning.For a month now there have been attacks on people in my pack by a large group of rogues, and the people in my pack looked to me to make sure these attacks were stopped.After spending the better half of an hour torturing a couple rogues, o
*Claire's p.o.v*From the second my eyes opened my head began to split. I didn't dare open my eyes, the last thing I needed was the sun enhancing my miserable headache.I let my mind wander, trying to place last nights events. While my memory was unusually foggy, I did remember being invited to dinner with Kira and Travis. Step by step, I tried to go through the events that led me to where I was now. I could easily remember sitting at the round table with Kira and Travis, a strange fruity liquid sloshing in a glass as I brought it to my lips. Everything after that became incredibly fuzzy. My splitting headache made it harder to think, shrouding my memories like a blurry picture.I found myself remembering flashes of different faces, and for some reason Alpha Killian's was brought into the mix. His expression wasn't what I remembered, his features looked soft somehow. His silver eyes glinted in amusement as his lips pulled
Alpha Killian remained silent as I slowly ate the omelet he had made me. I was grateful for the silence, but couldn't stand the concern in his flickering gaze.Part of me wanted him to go back to being cruel, so I didn't feel so terrible about trying to escape.Rhea detested the thought, but this wasn't about her. I knew no matter what, she would insist we needed to remain with our mate. I didn't have the heart to tell her, but I knew I didn't deserve a mate, not after what had been done to me. Even a year later, I still felt disgustingly dirty.Once I had finished, and my headache began to subside, I retreated to my bedroom. I sat on the plush bed as I contemplated how I would escape this place. I knew Alpha Killian would leave the house to work in his office for most of the day.My chances of escaping were so slim that I almost knew I would have to go with plan B, but I owed it to my family to try and es
The smell of sunblock hung in the air, a telltale sign that summer was in full effect. The sounds of teens splashing in the cool water could be heard, along with the sound of laughter and chatter.Summer was finally here, and I found myself excited to spend it with some human friend's I had made from school.I slung my beach bag over my shoulder, feeling relieved that I had remembered to pack a towel and some water. Beer and other fruity drinks could be smelled with the passing breeze.I turned to a pretty blonde girl, Maria. I had met her only two months prior, becoming friends instantaneously. Brandon and Hazel came to the forefront of my mind. I could've invited them, but I didn't.Maria was one of the more popular girls at school, and I felt lucky to have been the target of her friendship. Brandon had graduated already, and Hazel happened to be home schooled. I h
The memories of the past finally began to fade away, leaving me stranded in the middle of an ocean.The first thing I noticed as my consciousness was pulled back to the present was the fact that I was no longer standing. I could feel the hardwood floor under my bottom and legs. The sparks shooting through my face came next. As my eyes began to adjust, I looked into the concerned face of Alpha Killian.I could see his lips moving, but my ears hadn't caught up quite yet."Claire?" Alpha Killian murmured, "Claire can you hear me?"I tried to ask why he was so close to me, but the words came out in a disgruntled jumble.Finally, when my brain was completely caught up, I took in my surroundings. Everything looked the same, minus me sitting on the floor. Then I realized how close alpha Killian actually was. I was sitting on the floor against the bed, his body crouched between my legs as he held
"The only one dying here is you." He spat, and pulled the trigger.Everything felt as though it were moving in slow motion. I could see the bullet heading for my face, spiraling as it planned my death."He's never going to hurt us again." Sierra's voice was clear as a bell.I could feel Sierra take the reigns as I ducked to the side. I could feel the air part around the bullet as it missed me by inches. A look of fury formed on Damien's face as he raised the gun, his aim once again on me. Damien's miscalculation was thinking he was faster than a werewolf. That miscalculation would cost him his life. Just as the small explosion emerged from the gun, I ducked towards the ground and rolled towards him.Damien didn't move in time, and he struggled to stand.Before he could lift his bottom from the ground, a single one of my elongated nails grazed his throat.Not enough to tear it out, but enough to nick his artery.
I didn't have the time I needed to process what just happened.Sierra pushed me forward, keeping my legs from collapsing out from under me.I had just killed someone. Someone who tried to kill me, but that didn't change the fact that I had taken a life.I peeled off the hospital gown in haste, and grabbed a random set of scrubs sitting in a basket. The scrubs were baggy on me, but that didn't matter. It was better than running into a fight in a hospital gown.I stumbled out of the hospital room and down the hall, everything around me feeling like a haze."You need to snap out of it." Sierra barked, and I cringed at her hostile tone. "We need to find Killian."That was one thing we agreed on. I didn't care if there was a war going on, I needed to find him and make sure he wouldn't become one of the casualties.I followed the trail of blood that began just outside of my hospital room. My stomach twis
My breath caught in my throat as the last person I wanted to see came into my hospital room."Maria." I choked out. My eyes were peeled on her every movement as she sauntered into the room.She wasn't alone.She had a guy with her. someone I hadn't seen before. I glanced at him wearily and she caught my gaze."That's my mate. The one I told you about." A small but cruel smile formed on her face.I ran my eyes over her so-called mate. He was most definitely a werewolf. His build was large and muscular like one, and he had the scent of a werewolf."What the hell, Maria?" I growled, my eyes flickering between her and her mate.Maria did the last thing I would have expected, she giggled."Surprised?" She snickered. "You and your kind deserve what's coming.""Keep her talking, Claire." Sierra snapped. "Killian's out there fighting and Kira won't get here in time. We're on our own."
*Claire's p.o.v*I opened my eyes and cringed against the bright light.I was seriously getting tired of getting hurt, knocked out, or passing out.I knew I was in the hospital when the smell of cleaner and sanitizer filled my nose. Something was stuck in my wrist, irritating my veins.My first reaction was to rip the obstruction away and frantically search for Killian. I was a little upset seeing that he wasn't here, but I knew it had to be something important that took him away."Luna." Someone off to the side called out to me. I ignored them and picked at the IV taped onto my wrist."Luna, leave that in!" An older man's voice called out. His hand grasped my own gently and peeled it away.I looked into the eyes of the man, and had no clue who he was."I'm the pack doctor, Luna." The man said, reading the confusion on my face.My entire body felt sore. My torso radiat
*Killian's p.o.v*"How could she do this?" Travis was at a loss for words. He sat on the floor with Kira's head in his lap.I shook my head. I couldn't focus knowing Claire was lingering between life and death.I felt completely torn. Torn between my duty towards my mate, and my duty towards my pack.Titan desperately wanted to be with Claire at this moment, all reasoning had left him. While I wanted nothing more than to be at our mates side, I needed to find out how this happened.The threat of war lingered over the heads of everyone in this pack, and it was my duty to minimize the damage as best I could.I knew a war was coming. I could feel it in my bones.I had multiple groups of warriors stationed all around the pack perimeters, ready to alert me when the hunters brought the fight to us.I stood from the floor and walked over to the second unconscious body.The ra
*Killian's p.o.v*I knew something was wrong the moment I came into the pack house.Everything looked exactly the same as I left it, and yet something was still picking at me.It was like a hole had begun forming in my chest and I hadn't noticed it yet."Do you smell that?" Titan's voice called out in my head.I lifted my nose to the air and stiffened as the smell of fresh blood registered in my mind.Not just fresh blood; Claire's blood.The night she tried to end her life, the smell of her blood seared itself into my head. I couldn't forget the smell even if I tried. As Claire actively went to therapy and improved, my fear for her life had diminished. She had become happy with me and the life she had finally claimed.Titan's strength and speed slammed into me, and I bolted up the stairs. I couldn't place my finger on what was worse, having Claire kidnapped or smelling
*Claire's p.o.v*I gripped the soft comforter under my fingers and smiled at the wonderful dream I had. In my dream, Killian had found me and had taken me into his arms. His touch melted away the horrific week I had and burned the bad memories from my mind. His lips were pressed against my own and it felt like I had never left his side.My body jolted into a sitting position as my memories flooded through my mind. My heart was hammering and I felt ecstatic. It hadn't been a dream. My eyes darted around at the familiar room. The room Killian and I had shared for so long, the room I had given him my heart, mark and body.His scent filled my nose and the hammering of my heart slowed. I was finally able to focus and jumped as I saw two familiar faces beaming at me.Kira and Maria were grinning so hard I wondered if their faces hurt. A girl I hadn't met before stood at their side, a relieved smile painting her delicate face.
*Killian's p.o.v*Our fast pace came to a halt as we approached the house in the middle of the woods. It was the perfect location for a safe house. Completely off any pack's territory and far enough away from town to subdue any suspicion. Each of us shifted into our human form and slipped on a pair of sweatpants."What would you have us do, Alpha?" The tracker turned and asked. The rest of the men's eyes were on my own.I grimaced at the house only twenty feet away. "Kill them all. If you see Damien, capture him. I want him alive." I growled, mind-linking them an image of Damien I pulled from Claire.I watched as a big man came out into the porch, and I didn't hesitate. I launched myself through the brush and across the yard of the house. The man registered me a moment too late. I felt my nails extend into claws as I shoved them into the man's eye sockets.The man reeked of urine and panic as he struggled to rem
*Claire's p.o.v*"Killian." His name left my lips as I heard the thundering foot steps closed in.My hands gripped the cell bars tightly, waiting for the moment they rounded the corner and I could find the face of my mate.My hope fizzled when a familiar face appeared in front of the rusted bars.The big man from earlier had a cruel sneer on his face."Expecting your mate?" He grinned at me.My stomach was twisting itself into knots. The big man unlocked my cell and I scrambled to get away from him. I needed to stay here and wait for Killian. If they moved me I wasn't sure he'd ever find me or my body if things went south."Get away from me!" I growled, pressing my back against the earthen wall.The big guy sneered, a syringe in his hand. "No can do, mutt. We need to get a move on before your rabid mate gets here."He grabbed me by the shoulder and forced the syringe i