*** Helen *** I feel nervous as we approach the extremely large building. How many werewolves live here? How do they stay hidden? I have so many questions now that I am here. Manzitti takes hold of my hand and directs me into the entrance hall. As we walk in, I see several people openly gawp at us. One woman’s eyes go wide in surprise when she spots my hand enclosed in Manzitti’s giant one. I hear a growl rumble from his chest, and they all bow in submission to him. When I look at his face, his eyes glaze over momentarily before returning to normal. “Alpha Manzitti, welcome home, and Helen, welcome to Onyx River.” I smile in recognition at the friendly and familiar face of Beta Ivan, although he looks younger and happier and is sporting a new tattoo on his neck. “Thank you, Beta Ivan, I am excited and honoured to be here.” He bows to me before turning back to Manzitti. “Most of the pack are in the Main Hall, Alpha, as requested. Are you ready?” Manzitti nods. He leads me through
*** Manzitti *** I feel alive, like the very blood that runs through my veins is electrified. I am going to be as one with my fated mate and from the way Roman is reacting, I think he is content with the arrangement. He has chanted “Mate” non-stop since I shifted back. He is chirruping and howling with ecstasy. I have never felt him this exhilarated over anything ever before. Our Helen, our mate, she completes us. She makes us stronger. She gives life a whole new meaning. I have never felt so invincible before. Ivan meets us at the door when we return to the Packhouse. Alpha, there is some unrest among the pack regarding your human mate. I have told them to get over it and that this is happening, she belongs to you, and you are keeping her. I’m not going to command it; I am going to show it. I will show them all how well suited we are. I will demonstrate why I believe in her ability to be their Luna. I will try to be patient and give them time to adjust. This is happening with or
*** Helen ***As I come for the third time, I collapse against Manzitti, our hot sweaty bodies completely entwined and sated. I feel whole when I am with him.My entire body glows with satisfaction. Manzitti had promised to worship my whole body and he did not lie. I have never, ever felt completion like I do right now.“Best night ever!” I hear Manzitti murmur against my head, and I laugh as I lift myself and kiss him on the lips, nibbling his bottom lip.I move my legs to one side and go to stand, but he pulls me back to him. “Where are you going?” Him kissing me down my neck causes ripples of desire to continue to flow throughout my body.“I need the bathroom!” I giggle as I try to escape his embrace again and I yelp in surprise when he playfully spanks my ass on the way past him.When I come back into his bedroom, I watch him as he lays back with his hands stacked behind his head, and my heart swells with love and happiness. He is mine, all mine, and I am going to spend forever li
*** Halle *** ~*~ Four Hours Earlier ~*~ My phone ringing in the middle of the night wakes me from a deep sleep. I check my alarm clock before answering: it’s 2am, this best be good. Brad mutters in his sleep and Summer is in a travel cot at the bottom of our bed, flat-out. “Hello?” I answer in a sleep-filled voice. “Halle? It’s Lieutenant Slayne Goldrick. I’m sorry to disturb you like this but we have a problem.” I dart up in bed. “Ale, wake up now. ALE!” I give him a sharp kick in the ribs, and he grumbles as he opens his eyes. “Slayne, what has happened?” “Manzitti and Helen are missing. They took a buggy car out at midnight. Don’t ask me why. The tracker alarm sounded, telling us they crashed, but we can’t find them. The tracker is now placing the car in The Moon Stone Territory and if they are there, this is bad, really bad. Manzitti was told we are not welcome on their land and Helen’s human.” My heart sinks as I take all that in. I really didn’t need to be adding furthe
*** Ivan *** Once we stormed the main hall at the Moon Stone packhouse, I mindlinked Manzitti, but his link was distorted. Helen brought us here, Xavier is her father. My first instincts were defensive. I thought it was a trap. That was until I saw the hurt and confusion in my future Luna’s eyes. She stepped back from the man who said he was her father and the instant she looked at me, Manzitti and Slayne, I knew she was as blindsided as us. I saw myself in her in that moment: the hurt I felt every time Slayne had pushed me away was reflecting in her eyes, but it was too late. She had already drank in our expressions of mistrust, and she ran. I can’t say I blame her. Slayne is naturally protective of her brother, and it doesn’t take a genius to work out that Manzitti is dHelenstated and disordered. As we help him back to his apartment when he refuses to go to the pack hospital, his anguish comes out as he finds Helen’s clothing and trinkets that she has left behind. I stop Slayne
*** Helen *** The heat of Manzitti’s stare warms me into a wanton frenzy, but I cannot back down too easily. I am sick of feeling hurt and rejected and lacking. I need to know that he accepts me for me and that all I am will be enough for him. I love him, but if loving him means I have to spend the rest of my days feeling inadequate then I will take my chances on spending it alone. He loves us, the gentle voice from within tells me and it finally clicks into place: I am not crazy or hallucinating. It’s my wolf. I have a wolf. “Manzitti, can you have a wolf and not know it? And how do I find out?” He gives me a huge smile which melts me even more. I can try to resist him and his charm but ultimately, I love this stupid man and I do want to be with him. “Can you feel her, Helen? Roman said he could. He said she is buried deep inside you, but she is there. Maybe you could try and talk to her?” I give him an incredulous look since I have no idea how to do that. “How? How do you talk
*** Manzitti *** I mindlink Ivan and Slayne and tell them Helen and Summer are moving in with me today and ask them for some help. Yeah Alpha, no problem, just give us two minutes, Ivan answers. Make that ten minutes, Alpha, kind of busy here, Slayne interjects and I shake my head. Fine, ten minutes and then get in here and help us. I ask Helen what she wants to take for now and we start with Summer’s bedroom. Summer tells me she needs her ‘babas’ which I now know means her dolls, so I fill a box with her toys and Helen packs up a suitcase with Summer’s clothes. “We can always come back for more stuff, Shortie; we don’t have to pack up the whole house today.” She smiles at me. “This is for a few days, Aidy. We’ll probably need a removal van to take everything.” Shit! I might have to get a second apartment if this is stuff for a few days. Ivan comes in and helps me load Summer’s stuff into the car. “Are you and your mate all sorted then, Alpha?” I nod to him. “Yes, she’s defin
*** Xavier *** I had banished everyone from my lands in a fit of rage and now my daughter hasn’t returned to speak to me. A yearning in my chest was stopping me from doing anything else. I needed to see her again, I wanted to know her. My little girl. She is a beautiful woman now and from the tiny scraps of information her mother fed me, I know she was married with a child of her own and living in Germany, she was training to be a doctor. So how did she end up in my territory, mated to my enemy? No doubt her mate will keep her away from me now, and I hated that he had something so powerful to use against me. I had enjoyed testing the boundaries of Alpha Manzitti, who was a stark contrast to his own father. I had never liked Alpha John Goldrick and the incident that caused our fallout had always stung me. I had been painted as immoral for what I had done but I had stuck to the laws of our kind. I did not betray any of our customs and yet I was treated as though I had. I have summone
FANEI grabbed another crate of flowers and put them in the cooler. The door to the shop opened and Thorne walked in carrying two more.“Where do you want these?”“Are those the daffodils or the baby’s breath?” I asked.He glanced inside the crate and made a face. “This one is baby’s breath, and this one looks like curly twigs.”I laughed. “They’re curly willow tips.” I pointed to where Liv stood at another cooler. “Let Liv have them. They go in that one.”He walked her way, and I stared at him, still blown away that he was mine. It had only been two weeks since the night at my apartment when I asked him to stay after everything with Brooks happened, but it felt like we’d always been together. There was an ease with Thorne I had never felt with Brooks.Life was magical with him.Liv took the crates from Thorne, and then I noticed her checking her watch. That had to be the tenth time in the last few minutes. When she chewed the inside of her cheek—her telltale sign she was nervous—I kn
THORNE Nadine had asked me to stay the night, which was more confirmation she wasn’t freaked out by my wolf. This meant everything. My wolf vibrated with triumph. He’d expected things to go this smoothly, though.After all, he had already known she was his mate.He also had high hopes for what would happen between us tonight, and as I walked up the stairs to her apartment, I growled at him mentally. Nothing would happen tonight. Not unless Fane initiated it. She’d been through a lot and I would push for nothing.When we reached her front door, she glanced at me and smiled. I caught sight of the purple bruise shading her cheek and any sexual thoughts fled my mind and my wolf’s.My vision tunneled, and red rage flared through me instead.My teeth gritted together as I tried my damnedest to force my anger away, reminding myself she was safe, and that there was no way Brooks would ever hurt her again. It didn’t help.“What?” she asked, innocently.“You need ice,” I said. “Let’s head ins
FANE Either Brooks had passed out or he was being really quiet. Goose bumps prickled across my skin, but not in a good way. I gripped my cell tight and shifted my gaze from window to window. Thankfully, my apartment was above my sister’s garage and not at ground level, which meant there was no way for Brooks to climb through any of the back windows. If he got inside, it would be through either of the two windows alongside the front door or through the door itself.Even knowing this, my anxiety was still through the roof.I’d never seen Brooks like this before. Typically, he was controlled while in the public eye, and he rarely let himself get this drunk unless we were home. My heart beat triple time against my ribs, becoming the only thing I could hear. Until the sound of a motorcycle broke through everything.Thorne.Tension melted from my muscles, and my grip on my cell loosened. I pulled in a deep breath and exhaled it slowly, glad he was here. When it sounded as though he’d pulle
THORNE We walked to where we parked by the light of Fane’s flashlight on her phone. I didn’t need it, but I didn’t say so. Thanks to my wolf, I could see just fine in the dark.As soon as we reached her car, she spun around to face me and I knew what words were building on the tip of her tongue.“Nope,” I said with a shake of my head. “I don’t want to hear you say you’re sorry for the things that happened tonight or thank you to me again.”She smiled. Damn, she was pretty when she smiled.“Okay, so what do you want to hear me say, then?” she asked, and I swore she was flirting with me.I liked this side of her. This flirty, confident side that came out from time to time.It was sexy as hell.I took her hand and brought it to my lips, kissing along her knuckles while staring into her eyes. Her pupils dilated and my wolf picked up on a light scent of arousal. He released a howl and urged me to kiss her like before. I didn’t. A kiss on the hand was what she needed right now.Someone to b
FANE When Thorne pulled into a gas station, I assumed it was because he needed gas for his motorcycle, but when he parked in a space instead of at a pump, I realized that wasn’t the case. I pulled into the parking space beside him, wondering what we were doing here.“I’m heading inside for something. Be right back,” he said, sliding off his bike, looking sexy as hell.I leaned against my seat and exhaled a slow breath while watching him walk inside. This day had been a roller coaster. My teeth sank into my bottom lip as my thoughts drifted from one moment to another. I glanced at my wrist. It was still wrapped like Thorne suggested. While it was tender to the touch, I was glad I’d gone through with covering up Brooks’ name. I wanted nothing to do with him ever again.Thorne came back, his presence pulling me from my thoughts. There was a six-pack in his hand and a lopsided grin on his face. I smiled back, but narrowed my eyes.What did this guy have up his sleeve? He looked like he w
THORNE I hated Brooks. He was like a pimple that popped up at the most inconvenient time. Fane and I had been having a good time before he’d rudely interrupted us. Our thank-you drink was becoming a celebratory one. It was great she’d worked out a deal with May and was buying May’s Flowers. It was a beautiful thing when someone knew what they wanted to do with their life and made it happen.And then here was this douchebag tripping her up.Fane was moving forward, but he kept pulling her back.“Can we go?” she asked, looking directly at me. There was fear in her eyes. Clearly, she’d seen this side of him before.“Yeah, sure,” I said without hesitation. Bars weren’t really my scene, anyway.I tossed a twenty on the bar to pay for our drinks, even though she said she would buy, and gave Joe a nod before lacing my fingers through Fane’s and steering us toward the exit.“Holy shit!” Brooks shouted from behind us, causing my wolf to go on high alert. He’d picked up on Brooks’ anger escala
FANE I walked toward the doors of Last Drop, my mind racing. I couldn’t believe I’d asked Thorne Beckett out for a drink. It was a bold move, but after everything with Brooks and my tire, it felt right. Thorne had helped me more than he could ever know today.“Fane,” a familiar voice called from behind me while I walked through the parking lot.I spun around to see Thorne weaving his way toward me.“Hey, you came,” I said, unsure why.“Of course I did. You offered to buy me a drink.”“Right, that I did.” Ugh. I sounded like a complete idiot!“I’m kidding. I would have come even if you hadn’t offered to buy me a drink,” he said, still sauntering toward me. An adorable grin hung from his lips, one that sent butterflies through the pit of my stomach.Thorne was hot—smoking hot.I scolded myself for the thought. This wasn’t a date. It was me buying him a drink because he’d helped me with my shitty Brooks issues more than once today. I shouldn’t feel butterflies while in his presence.“Re
THORNE Nadine was scared. I could tell. And it was driving my wolf wild. He didn’t like smelling her fear saturating the air around us. All he wanted was for me to fix it. To comfort her and make her feel better.The problem was, I didn’t know how.Talking to her and getting her mind off her asshole ex seemed like the way to do it, but I didn’t know what to say. My mind was drawing a complete blank, and it didn’t help that my wolf was pulling me in multiple directions. While he wanted me to stay here with her, to protect her and make sure she was okay, he also wanted me to track Brooks down and make him bleed for hurting her.I had an internal battle waging inside me, tearing me in two.I outlined the last petal of her lotus and then cleaned her skin. The shop door opened as I covered her tattoo with plastic wrap and secured it. I didn’t have to look over my shoulder to know who had entered. I could tell from the way Fane’s fear intensified in the air and how her body tensed.Brooks
FANE I found a parking space on Main Street and cut the engine of my car. To say I was excited to get Brooks’ name covered with a lotus flower was an understatement.However, I was also excited to see Thorne.As I thought about the conversation we’d had on the phone the other night when I called to book my appointment, I wondered for the millionth time if he’d cared that I had shortened his name to Cal.I hoped not.I exhaled a slow breath as I slid out of my car and made my way down the sidewalk toward Inked Wolf. When I spotted Ms. Lynette on the bench beneath the clock tower in town square, I smiled and waved at her. She motioned for me to come over, so I headed in her direction. There was still ten or fifteen minutes before my appointment with Thorne. It was enough time to say a quick hello to her and then make my way back across the street.“Hello, Ms. Lynette,” I said when I reached her.She held up her index finger. “I have something for you,” she said, before rummaging throug