~Ridge’s Point of View~
I had never been more turned on in my life watching Tyra in the gym and it was torture. I did everything possible to not show how hard I was, especially since we weren’t alone. If we had been alone I’d have had her over every piece of equipment in there .., and believe me when I say I was visualizing the hell out of it. It was impossible not to.
I kept walking around, doing everything to move and stay busy ...and not just stare at her, but it was impossible. Forrest was furious with me and I didn’t blame him. He wanted her marked immediately.
When she said she wanted to fight I wasn’t happy at all. I had just gone through a mess to get her, and it still wasn’t even resolved. There was no way I could risk something stupid happening to her
~Tyra’s Point of View~Apparently the mall was about an hour drive off the pack lands. Nate was actually pretty damn chatty and it cracked me up.“So yeah, that’s what I look for when I’m fighting,” he said, trying to tell me about his skills.“I size up my opponents too, men are easy to read,” I said, waving my hand at him.“Oh? Do tell,” he said, curiously.I scoffed and feigned shock.“You want advice … from ME? A lowly new she-wolf,” I laughed, clutching my chest.“You’re not just any she-wolf as we both know,” he sa
~Zach’s Point of View~“Wake up baby, follow my voice,” I said, stroking her hair.I didn’t know what was supposed to happen between when Tyra left me on Sunday and the challenge, but I had planned to try and talk to her again, reason with her. I never fucking expected to get a call that she’d been hit by a truck and was barely alive. I spared no expense getting the best doctor to transport her to the pack and care for her.I had now been watching the doctor do this thing and run tests on her for hours. It was getting late and I was mentally exhausted. Seeing her like this, it was too much. She never should have left me, never should have gone with that moron.“What do you think doctor,” I asked, not being able to s
~Tyra’s Point of View~I’m running, the wet, cold grass and mud are beneath my bare feet, sucking me down but it can’t hold me. I have to see it, I have to get there. I can’t miss it, I never miss it no matter what. It’s been pouring down rain for days straight, but it can’t keep me away.I finally see it, within my view and I just have to get to it. I finally throw myself at the block of stone, crying out. Every year it’s a different emotion for me, but not for him. But it’s never her fault. Anger, rage, it all comes to the surface on this day. The happiest day of the year in any pup’s life. The day my dad did everything possible to show how much he loved me, then he’d storm away from me in anger and rage. The ultimate tipping point.
My heart absolutely sank when Ash said I couldn’t leave, that Zach could keep me overnight, since it was best I stay in the pack hospital. I didn’t trust Zach a fucking BIT, and no one should!! Like death was somehow a deterrent to marking me? I couldn’t show him how pissed I was … how terrified I was really.Zach was trying to be charming by feeding me, opening the windows and telling me how nice it was outside. He even took me on a little walk in the hallways to get me up and moving a bit. My body was so damn stiff and putting weight on my feet was so hard, I had to keep holding Zach for support and he was relishing in it. All I could do was think about Ridge and how pissed he must be, how helpless he must feel.We were watching TV when I finally said, “don’t you think you need to get ready for tomorrow?”
~Zach’s Point of View~I watched Tyson go down the hall with Tyra, and I didn’t like it a bit. But I knew it would get me some brownie points with her and I needed all the help I could get.“Want me to go listen,” Ryan asked.I shook my head.“No, leave them be. Why don’t you guys go get some air for a couple minutes and come back, in case Tyson doesn’t want to leave,” I said, looking at my other warriors.“How the hell did he even get here, past our guards,” I asked.“Just like that cat did the other day, just teleported in, out of nowhere without permission,” Ryan said, pissed off.
~Tyra’s Point of View~There were easily fifty people out here to watch the challenge. I was completely sick to my stomach and had barely been able to eat anything all day. Reba was being a lunatic, yelling at me to find our mate. The full moon was nearly upon us and the pull of it in the air was simply too much to bear. It was going to be our first full moon together, and I desperately hoped with Ridge.I was sitting in a camping chair at the top of the fighting ring, front row seat. Zach had been all over me all day long and we’d had a huge fight because he wanted to help me shower and I insisted the nurse do it. Thankfully I won that argument.I was really impressed at how much more I’d healed since waking up, since I only ever knew how slowly I healed before as a mere human.
“She’s in heat,” someone yelled. I collapsed into the chair, hoping like hell the fight didn’t throw my ass into heat. What a nightmare! Ridge began shifting back and I got to my feet again.“Please Zach, forfeit!! Just walk away, both of you!! Just mutually foreit and everyone goes home!! Please,” I yelled.Zach was growling and shifting between his feet, covered in blood. He wasn’t fully shifted back yet, he still had his canines out, claws for hands and fur on most of his skin, but he was standing on two legs.“She needs you Zach, you can end this, PLEASE,” I begged.He looked back at me, then looked at his opponent. Ridge walked toward him and Beth yelled and moaned. Everyone was now crowded around her
~Tyra’s Point of View~ Obviously this wouldn’t be my first time being intimate but the anticipation sure made it seem like it. Reba was practically falling over herself trying to chase him down. We came through some brush and I heard the sound of water faintly trickling. It was easy to track Ridge between his scent and the blood on him, which simultaneously made me weak with desire but also disgusted. I didn’t like my mate being hurt and I was desperate to fix his wounds. Reba purred as she finally saw Ridge, he’d shifted back and he was soaking in what looked like a hot spring. *Nooo, I want my wolfie,* Reba fussed. *You can have him back later,* I mused. I pushed myself to shift back, it was
~Epilogue~ ~Four Months Later~ ~Missy’s Point of View~ “Are you sure you’re ready to try this baby,” Nate asked, from underneath me. I made a face, since I was already struggling like hell with my current position. I was splayed out across the top of Nate’s body with my back to his chest. My hair was likely suffocating him. Between everything with the village and having little Fisher, we rarely take advantage of the witches’ offers to send us somewhere exotic anymore. But tonight had been planned for weeks, and both grandmas were handling things so we could have a weekend away. However, I still had to have Kendra pop in every 12 hours
~Missy’s Point of View~ ~Next Month~ “Kendra I don’t understand, what’s so important that you had to--” I fumbled into the dark room to find the light, wondering why she was dragging me into the daycare at 8pm on a Friday night. I flicked the switch and my jaw dropped. “SURPRISE!!!” I gasped and covered my mouth as everyone cheered and shouted. There were balloons all over and confetti flew through the air. I looked next to Renata and saw a giant cake, easily four tiers. On top was a brown haired doll in a shiny red dress just like she’d made me for the dance. There were two males in tuxedos both holding on to the doll.
~Missy’s Point of View~ *Are you really not going to shift back,* I said, feeling defeated. My wolf and I laid in front of the packhouse and everyone gawked at us. It had been hours and hours since my shift, and my wolf seemed to be content to stay. She was still mad that I forced her shift early, she was mad that our mates weren’t here to see it and help. She was determined to stay until she got to see them and offer a piece of her mind. I was certain her little badass attitude would fall away once she saw them. The humans were very curious about her, and she let them pet her. She thought it made her feel special and important. Admired, when she couldn’t get that satisfaction from her mates. “Everyone can
~Nate’s Point of View~Could there be anything more impossible than both my mates needing me and having to choose? Missy only gets her first shift once, we had to know it would happen after getting marked. But we couldn’t put off the invasion, not when the Shadows were all ready to go.Would Ryan have been okay without me? Probably. It wasn’t like I did anything but try to comfort him anyhow. This was a whole new dynamic that would take some real thought. Two mates absolutely dependent on me, and Ryan having two dependent on him as well. We were as joined as three people could be. If you’d asked me even a month ago who I would choose in a moment like this, of course I’d have said Missy. She should always be the number one choice. But now I also know, if anything happened to Ryan it would positively devas
~Renata’s Point of View~ I felt Diego now as if he were so close, but I still couldn’t mind-link him. I watched out the window as there was a crazy rain storm that seemed to come and go, then a glowing light in the distance made my jaw drop. I quickly opened my two windows in shock, trying to be sure I was seeing things correctly. A forest fire. Ohh goddess! They’ll never put that out! They’re gonna burn the damn pack to the ground! Oh fuck I gotta get outta here! My mind went into overdrive and I suddenly had to wonder if I could shift and be able to get out of the ankle cuff, I’d have a smaller leg. Would that work? Desperate times Renata… I cle
~Ryan’s Point of View~I hadn’t been in the battle of Blood Claw, but everyone damn well knew the stories. A witch that could raise the dead, use them as a fucked up to way to fight your enemy. And in smoke so thick you can’t even see what’s coming at you? I didn’t sign up for this shit!*Renata, it’s all for her. We are here for her,* Huck reminded me.*It’s all for killing our fucking father,* I reminded him.We all had knives or daggers of some sort, but no guns. Did guns even work against the dead? Did knives? Fuck if I know, there isn’t a training manual for batshit crazy witches!*Katrina thinks this wit
~Missy’s Point of View~ I can only make popcorn for so damn long, what am I going to do for all these people tonight? On top of that, I had a huge migraine and my skin was just super itchy. Maybe if I could sneak away and get a bath I’d feel better. I was already sick of the wink and nudge act from Nate’s mom who kept finding excuses to look at my neck. Although, several people did. They said I smelled different and of course everyone knew what that meant. “We’ll have to have a proper Luna ceremony,” someone said. I had no idea what that entailed, but with my mates gone and my best friend kidnapped it was hardly something I could waste my brain space on for now.
~Diego’s Point of View~ I stood on the practically barren Blood Claw lands, and could hardly imagine what this looked like once upon a time. Tyson didn’t much like to talk about his childhood, he said he was just a mindless zombie doing and going where he was told much like everyone else. That was hard for me to believe now, knowing how strong and confident he was today. But I guess we were all children at some point, just eager to please our parents. Goddess knows I was always trying to prove myself. I had a massive family but we were now spread out all over the place. My parents still live with my youngest sister who has yet to shift. I have no clue what they’ll do when they finally have an empty house, maybe … just maybe I could convince them to come here. They didn
~Renata’s Point of View~ After Tyler’s stupid ass witch succeeded in scaring the shit out of me, everyone left me alone. One of the cooks from the packhouse I knew so well … an older female named Mary, brought me some fruits and finger foods. She refused to really look at or speak to me though. I couldn’t hold it against her, she was obviously scared. Sometime around two in the morning I did drift off to sleep, though it was so light and paranoid I woke barely feeling I’d slept. The sun was up, yet I was still here. I absolutely did dream I woke up back at home, in the strong arms I’d come to know so well. To depend on. How’s this possible? Aren’t they coming for me?