Shane’s words are a shock to my system. Silence stretches between us, and I don’t know how long we sit there. I watched as he ran his lips against my knuckles before kissing the back of my hand. I can’t keep my eyes off of him, and as I stare at the side of his face, anger bubbles inside of me.What the hell is he thinking?Unlike the night I met him in this life, there’s no hate there. Shane emits love and patience, and if I hadn’t already spent the time that I had with him, I would have thought I was dreaming. His lashes are unfairly curled, his nose sharp, and as he straightens, I sigh as he runs his fingers through his hair. I don’t need memories of my past life to know that’s always been my favorite thing.Shane’s walls have come crumbling down, and now that I’ve got the man I love marked, and in bed with me, I can’t help but wonder why the fuck he’s here. His eyes meet mine and the corner of his lip pulls back until he flashes me with that panty-dropping smirk. Meanwhile, I’m st
!! Physical and Sexual abuse in this book may be triggering for survivors !! Had I been a normal child, I would have hesitated. I would have felt guilty, sad, and maybe pity for the man in front of me but I didn’t. The warm glow from the full moon lit up the dark room. The rays caressed my cheek, squeezed my arm, and wrapped around me. I closed my eyes as they held me like a blanket and promised me that everything would be okay. It was as if she were whispering to me, telling me she was here with me. As if confirming that I was making the right choice. It felt as if the moon agreed with my choice. I was comforted with the knowledge that there was nothing wrong with what I was about to do. She told me there was nothing wrong with what I was doing, that there was nothing wrong with what I was about to do. If anything, she urged me forward. I lifted my chin and smiled at her, the Moon, not the Goddess that left me here by myself. Not the Goddess that did nothing to help me all those ti
Adea I walked through the hallway. My bare foot slapped against the floor while the other click-clacked as I walked. I’d lost the other one when he picked me up and threw me across the room. Finding it was the last thing on my mind. The servants avoided looking in my direction and those who were near me avoided my gaze. I’d learned a long time ago that no one was going to help me. I didn’t expect anything, not from my father and not from them. No one said it, they didn’t have to. Parents were supposed to love and care for you, I knew that much. My nursemaid once told me that parents love in different ways. Some are affectionate and some just don’t know how to show that love. Even as a young girl I knew she was lying to me, I knew for a fact my father didn’t love me. My father hated me, I knew that for sure. I didn’t have to do much to make him angry. I would say the wrong thing, look the wrong way, and he would hit me. He told me it was because I was supposed to have been born a boy
Part 1 - Before Shane I have loved her since the first time I laid eyes on her but I won’t start there. Let’s start the day before I saw her, the day before I met her, the day before my life changed. Hack. Hack. Hack. The meat split and fell apart under my blade. I spent my day cutting meat into smaller pieces. The other kids my age preferred to work out in the field, saying it was more fun being outdoors under the sun. I preferred being on my own. All the meat hung from the ceiling. My daily job was to prepare the meat for the packhouse meals. The errand boy would run the packaged meat to the packhouse kitchen where they would prepare it for the higher-ranked members. Someone ran up to my window. I wasn’t expecting him for another hour. “What are you doing here?” I asked. When Devin came up to the window, I was even more confused. Why was he here? Probably here to spout off more useless information. Devin was someone who worked in the fields tending to the vegetables. Sometime
The sun peeked over the mountains. Soon, it would light up the fields and splash over the houses. This was my favorite time of day. The animals were still sleeping, no one was out of their bed yet, and the quiet that fell over the pack in the night still lingered. I took a deep breath and smoke billowed around me as I exhaled. I’d been living in this Goddess-forsaken world for thirteen years. I was young and far from naive. We’ve been here in the Clear Mountains pack since we were found. That was three years ago and I hadn’t changed much since. I did my best to stay away from others. I tried not to make friends but Devin liked me, and he was hard to shake. I didn’t care about the opinions of others. I had my sister and that was enough, that’s all I needed. My goal was to live a quiet life, make it to adulthood, and protect my other half, my good half. The story was that I was the Alpha’s bastard son from the next pack over and that was what kept us safe. No one knew I was the crimina
“Father—” A loud, resounding smack echoed and the girl crumbled to the floor. My eyes rounded as I turned to look at her. Had he just-? Did he just-? I couldn’t believe it. My wolf howled inside, determined to protect the girl we didn’t even know yet. Maximus only ever came out to protect me. I didn’t question it as I lunged toward her, shielding her with my body. My hand crunched against the ground as a boot stepped on it. I gritted my teeth right before pain erupted on the left side of my abdomen. I wheezed as the air was knocked out of me. I didn’t want to crush her but I also didn’t want her to get one of the kicks meant for me. I dropped to the ground next to her, shielding her behind me. My forehead smashed against the stones that littered the ground as my abdomen was struck with another kick. I hadn’t had time to take in a breath and my lungs tightened with the need for oxygen. I curled into a ball and covered my head with my arms. Kick after kick, blow after blow landed on m
Adealine’s eyes widen and she holds my attention as her lips part. I pull myself up and fight the urge to laugh as she stares at me in shock. She leans back so we don’t bump heads. I tuck the strand into my pants pocket before she can try and swipe it back from me. Now that I was sitting up a foot away from her face, her cheeks flushed and she looked away from me. I’ve always known that I was easy on the eyes but I’ve never really put too much thought into it. Seeing her staring at me the way she is, has changed that. I like that she’s staring. I’m having an effect on her and I can’t help the giddiness that spreads a blush across my cheeks. I’ve never wanted someone to like me as much as I do right now. I may have just turned thirteen but I’ve been working since I was a child. My body was long and lean. I’ve always been bigger than others my age. My long curly black hair was the only thing I received from my father. Only the offspring of an Alpha had strong dark-colored hair. It was
There was a bit of a limp in her walk but I was sure I imagined it. That or the shoes on her feet were too tight. She led me through the packhouse doors. I’ve never been in here before. The only time I came around here was when I had to fill in for Mitch’s nephew, which wasn’t often, and I was never permitted inside. I usually met the kitchen staff out front or by the entrance to the kitchen. White stone walls stretched two stories high, her shoes clicked against the floor, white trim followed us as we walked into a room that had two mahogany double doors on each side. Everything was so white, so clean here, as clean as her. I didn’t care to take in my surroundings, I kept my gaze on her and her hair that bounced as she walked. She came to a stop in front of dark wooden stairs that seemed to lead up to the Goddess herself. She yanked at my arm and my feet moved by her command. We headed up the insanely long set of steps. Surprisingly enough, we didn’t pass anyone on the way. I was pu