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
Heaven was nothing like I thought it would be.No family members welcoming you home, no pearly white gates. No sense of peace and happiness.Heaven was floating in the darkness, wondering how the hell you got there. Slowly being tormented by memories and mistakes you had made.The worst of it was over, I had come to find out. I wasn't drowning anymore.I would've embraced my pitch black darkness if it weren't for the constant beeping that was emanating from everywhere.Beep, Beep, Beep, Beep.A steady constant sound.A strange sensation came over my body- if that's what you'd call my spirit or whatever. Something I thought I would never feel again. Sparks.All at once I was blasted in the face with memories, each one embedding itself into my skin as I began to plummet through the darkness.Finally, I land
Alpha Killian was quick to return after Maria had left.After much convincing, he unhooked me from the hospital machines that were nestled between my bed and the bedside table. I told him that we both needed to eat. I knew I wouldn't be left alone for quite some time, so I wasn't surprised that he followed me downstairs and into the kitchen.Alpha Killian began pulling some ingredients out to make pasta, but I stopped him."Killian." I frowned, placing a hand on his arm without even thinking. He skillfully hid the surprise from his face, but I could practically feel it radiating off of him. The fam
I opened my eyes early in the morning, surprised at how well I had slept. Not a single nightmare plagued me and with a quick glance to my left I could easily see why.Killian was still asleep, his face angelic and strangely peaceful. Sierra hummed in my head at the sight of our maginificent mate, and I couldn't help but agree at her observation. He definitely was magnificent."Claire," Killian grumbled, his deep voice clouded with sleep. Even husky and tired, his voice sent chills running down me. I jumped at the sound of his voice, heat rushing to my face at the thought of being caught again.Killian opened one of his eyes and stared at my face. A small smirk slowly formed as he took in my flaming cheeks."Why do you insist on thinking so loudly?" Killian grumbled, his smirk deepening as a look of shock came over my face.Sputtering, I gave him a half-assed reply, "I-I have no idea what you're talking about." I snapped, jumping
My nerves hit somewhere around the six or seventh step. My gut was churning and I scolded myself for acting this way. I was about to waltz into Killian's office and practically test his willpower."No backing down now." Sierra smirked at my cowardly behavior.I took a few deep breaths to settle my nerves. The last thing I needed was to be a sweaty, blundering mess when I knocked on his door.Killian's office door was easy to spot. It was the only double door in the house and had a golden plaque with his name etched on it.I knocked on his door hesitantly, and almost ran away when I heard his voice."Come in." His husky voice gave me a chill.I opened the door and flushed when I noticed he wasn't alone.Killian sat at a huge oak desk looking amazing as ever. His hair was tousled, and he wore a black button down shirt. The sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, and the top two buttons of the shirt wer
"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