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CHAPTER FIFTY-SIX:Merrick Blake

last update Last Updated: 2025-02-28 10:27:23

Following her instructions to the room full of decorations, I passed a door that was cracked open and heard my female's voice.

"You need to find a reason to fight, Noah," Hazel said. I stopped near the door, listening.

"I did this for you. You need a wolf to lead with you, and that's me. Even if we can't be together, I'll still be what you need."

I bit back a growl. I was exactly what my mate needed, and I sure as hell could lead the damn wolf pack if I wanted to.

Or if she wanted me to.

"I know that my people need a wolf as their Alpha. If I didn't, I would've given Merrick the Alpha Male power already. But that's not enough of a reason for you to survive the damn trials." Hazel's voice grew angrier.

"It is. You are, Hazel." I heard footsteps, and through the door, I watched as another male grabbed my female's face and kissed her.

She shoved him away instantly, stepping backward. "What the actual fuck, Noah? I'm mated. What the hell is wrong with you?"

Shock and fury hit me like a fr
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    The walk back to the party was the closest I’d ever get to a walk of shame. I sincerely hoped no one had followed me to Merrick’s truck. Luckily, I didn’t smell any fresh scents around until I was a good distance behind my parents’ place, nearly to the dancing crowds and pounding music."Did he leave?" my mom asked as she approached. She tilted her head toward the forest, away from the party. I understood that she wanted to walk and talk, so I turned that direction. She stepped into pace with me, walking by my side."Yeah. He’ll be back, though.” Our walk slowed, neither of us having anywhere we needed to be that instant."For the record, he was right." She slid her hands in the pockets of her jeans."About what?" I wondered. Though I agreed, I wanted to understand her thought process. My mom was someone who got to the point, didn't beat around the bush or anything, so I always knew I’d get the truth from her."If someone else kissed me after we mated, I think your dad would enjoy rip

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    “Alright, get furry.” I ran my hand down Hazel’s dark hair. She was beautiful—so damn beautiful.And by some miracle, she was mine.After a few more rounds of our distraction game, all of which ended in far more than one climax, I’d finally lost one without taking Hazel over the edge with me. It was a low blow, but I more than made it up to her with my mouth and fingers afterward.She hadn’t stopped grinning since she won, and I was glad I could give her that win. Even if it meant a bare-back ride through the forest at lunch time.“Don’t pet me while I’m in human form,” she complained, still grinning.I petted her boob, and she smacked my hand away. “You like it,” I told her.“And you like to bug me.” She shifted forms, shaking out her fur as she landed on four paws. It was odd to see her as a dark-haired wolf now that she wasn’t a ruby shifter, but in a good way.“You’re fun to bug.” I scratched her head. She leaned into my hands, and I scratched harder. “If I’m too heavy, you drop m

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    Hauling me to the bed, he pulled his boxers on and finally put me down on the edge of the bed. His knees knocked mine as he tugged my shirt over my head, and he groaned when he saw that I wasn’t wearing a bra.His hands cupped my breasts, and then I was flat on my back with his mouth on my nipple. His chest idled as he sucked me, and I arched upward, my legs wrapping around his hips so I could press myself into his hardness.He moved to the other nipple, and then his hands slid into my shorts His finger stroked the most sensitive part of me, and I gasped.Fuck, his fingers felt good.Merrick paused, stopping his movement on my nipple and clit. He groaned again. “Shit. I wasn’t supposed to do that.”“Says who?” I shot back, moving my hips so his fingers rubbed against me.“Says me,” he grunted, withdrawing his hand.“No.” I grabbed his arm, holding it in place. “You can’t start this and not finish it.” My eyes bore into his.“You’re hurting, Ellis.” His eyes darkened. “So much that you

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    I slept in, then stayed in bed replying to emails and trying to catch up on work I’d been slacking on for weeks. Hell, months. There were responses to emails I hadn’t sent in my inbox, and scrolling through, it looked like one of my parents had tried to take care of stuff for me.That meant a lot.My mom peeked in around noon, and I could smell food with her. I wasn’t hungry, but I also wasn’t in the mood to argue about food.“Hey, cutie.” My mom stepped inside, closing the door behind herself without asking if it was okay. I wasn’t going to turn her down anyway, so it didn’t matter.“Hey. Were you answering emails for me?” I asked.“Yeah. I tried, but you know how I am with business stuff.” She shrugged, and I smiled. My dad was the business mind out of the two of them.“Thanks.” I gave her the biggest smile I could muster—a tiny one.She sat on the edge of the bed, a plate of steak and mashed potatoes and veggies in her hands. She knew about my love affair with steak, and was trying

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    I sat down at one of the picnic tables, legs sprawled in front of me as I turned my mind inward. The Alpha power in my chest had shrunk by a hell of a lot, but it was still there. Pulling it to the surface, I focused on those it connected me to, and pulled. The ruby itself had called all the wolves to the city, so I assumed it was something the power could do.I felt a pull against me, like the shifters were fighting my power, so I tugged harder. Their will gave out, and I felt the agreement flow from them to me.Then, it was just a matter of waiting.My arms rested on the table, my thoughts drifting back to the female who would always have a hold on me the way I had a hold on those shifters. There was still a wall between us, and the state of it said she was still sleeping.Hazel was hurting. She’d been ignoring her trauma since that time the teenage snake nearly killed her. But the thing about trauma was that you could only ignore it for so long.I’d been a damn idiot, taking her to

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    I followed Hazel to our room. Her parents asked her how the fight went as we passed them, and she answered with the same infuriating word she’d already repeated a dozen times or more.“Fine.”Shutting the bedroom door behind us, I locked it and followed her to the bathroom. She tried to shut that door in my face—to block me out. I caught it, and she spun to face me.“Talk to me, Ellis. Don’t shut me out,” I growled.“There’s nothing to say.” She let go of the door. “I need space.” “If there’s nothing to say, why do you need space?”“Back off, Grizzly.” She turned around, abandoning the door and walking into the shower in her bra and shorts.For the first time since I got her back, I let her go.Continuing to reach out to her, I tried to figure out how to help her.I wouldn’t walk away—I’d made that mistake once. The last time she’d asked for space, she hadn’t actually wanted it. But this time was different. This time, she was hurting. Not because of something I’d done, but because of

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