Liam The guys had somehow roped me into going out with them. I’d say I wasn’t sure how that happened, but I knew the exact reason. Rose would be there. I couldn’t say no, even though I knew I had no chance of going home with someone. Alo sent images through my mind of what she could possibly look like all decked out, but none of them seemed right. She wasn’t frilly, she wasn’t edgy, I’d say she’d go for something modest but her stunt the other night had me questioning her innocence. The images I liked the best, though, were the ones that didn’t involve a dress at all. I knew she was getting ready with the other girls in the packhouse because I could feel her proximity. I knew she was nervous because I could feel the jitters along my skin. I knew she was thinking about me because I was hard. Or maybe I was just thinking about her. The guys were not wasting their summer, spending as much time out on the patio as they could. I imagined once winter hit this South Dakota town, th
Rose Jade had met her mate last night. Given everything she had to say about him and what they did, I wasn’t exactly certain how she had untangled herself from the sheets long enough to find her way dress shopping for Lya’s luna ceremony with us. He sounded lovely, though. A career warrior here, but had recently made the switch over to Cyber. I had met him before, Daniel, but didn’t have much of an opinion of him, what with him finishing up his training as I was just starting. He had been stationed in the southernmost town of the pack until he made his transition over to Cyber. “He’s just dreamy,” Jade sighed. “I am so excited I had already agreed to accept a position here. Otherwise I’d have to enroll in the training program or something,” she giggled. Lya and Anna tittered on about Jade’s newfound mate with her while I just tried to avoid any and all conversations about mates. Something about salt in the wound. I had lost count of how many dresses Lya had tried on. Each one
Liam The pang that rung through my chest nearly brought me to my knees. A bitter taste soured my tongue, causing me to gag. ‘What is this?’ I demanded of Alo, wracking my brain for every illness that could hit a wolf like this. ‘That’s heartbreak,’ he said in a somber tone. I could feel him trying to push away from me, sending reassurance and comfort to his mate. Rose’s wolf had to be feeling it just as strongly if it was hitting us this hard. ‘Why?’ I growled, trying to rein my wolf back in. I didn’t need the two wolves forming any more of a connection than they had already. Alo didn’t respond, and rightfully so. He had more pressing matters. They should have been just as important to me, but the idea that the best thing for Rose was to be as far away from me as possible permeated all thoughts I had of trying to fix the bond. She would undoubtedly be good for me, but I wouldn’t be good for her. And because of that, we would destroy each other. Again, I never wanted a mate.
Rose I felt him before I saw him. I took too long to make a run for it, consumed by the soothing scent of a bonfire to make my escape. I turned slowly as my skin blazed. He took a step toward me. I was against the kitchen counter, though, with nowhere to go. “My bunny doesn’t run anymore.” His voice stoked on the embers quickly consuming me. I struggled to breath, the fire sapping all the oxygen out of the room. Why had I always thought proof of mate bonds were sparks, when this one was flames that would destroy you? Maybe it was a sign that this bond wasn’t right. But the mate bond was always right, wasn’t that what Lya said? “What do you want, Liam?” He reached out and snagged a strand of my hair, studying it closely. “Just to talk.” I huffed. “Then talk.” Finally, Liam looked up to me. “Alone.” He turned, walking out of the kitchen. His grasp around my wrist left me no option but to follow. To be honest, though, I would have followed him to the ends of the earth with
Liam We ran, enjoying the chase. Enjoying being chased. Part of me thought Alo was trying to run away from me. We fought for control, but Alo slowly conceded as he realized I was enjoying this as much as he was. I hated to admit it, but I adored my bunny. I would gather the stars from the sky for her if she just gave the slightest inclination that was what she wanted. And that was exactly why this needed to end. But I was selfish. She was faster than us, so soon enough we were chasing her. Trying to keep up with her, rather. We were out of her territory when Alo finally caught up with her. Alo stood at the edge of the clearing for a moment, watching his mate in her human form. He didn’t complain when I pushed forward and asked for control, though. I laid down beside her naked form, not even trying to hold up the walls I had previously tried to keep so firmly intact and in place. It took but a fleeting moment to realize this was all I ever wanted. “I’m a Wulver, Rose,” I
Rose I took my time making my way to the training grounds. I was so hurt, and I needed to blow off some steam. I was a scout, I didn’t need to clock as many training hours as my warrior counterparts did, but since meeting Liam, I had been keeping up with the warriors on the training field. My scouting skills were sharp enough to warrant me graduating a year early, so I figured I could take a week or so focusing more on combat. I worked in with a group from my graduating class, alternating between offense and defense. As a scout, my combat training was primarily in defensive maneuvers, but if things kept going this poorly with my mate, I was certain my offensive fighting would be up to snuff enough to be dual trained. “Rose!” Cody called across the field, pulling my attention away from the fight I was watching. I made my way over to him. “Yes, Gamma?” He was on the clock, he was Gamma right now. “You looking to make a career change or something?” he chuckled. “You’ve been out h
Liam I didn’t even look down at my little mate as she flitted out of Cody’s office and I marched in. I bit back the discomfort at her being in a room behind a closed door with him. I was quick to remind myself that he was my friend and her superior. I could trust him with her. Alo was still unsettled, though. I found Cody perched on the edge of his couch, Woodford in hand, a small smile flitting across his face. I grabbed for the bottle and a glass, plonking down in the spot I could tell Rose had just been sitting. “Did you lose your wolf when you rejected Ellie?” I demanded. Cody looked up at me, shock etched across his face. “What? No. You’ve seen me shift since then.” I nodded, a bit of relief sweeping over me. Sometimes, rejection was the thing you were supposed to do with a mate bond, it seemed. “That’s the second time I’ve been asked that today. What’s going on?” he asked. I shrugged my shoulders, having no idea why someone else would have asked him such a question.
Rose I sat in Anna’s closet room while Jade made the rounds, doing all our makeup, and Anna stayed on top of making sure all our mimosas stayed full. Lya kept making comments on how she didn’t see how this was any different from a wedding or an inauguration, and we all took turns telling her it was both. Hair, however, was where Jade shone. She tried desperately to add some volume to my stick straight hair, her frustration growing with every attempt. She settled on waterfall braids and somehow got some soft waves to stick. I knew they would fall flat by the ceremony, but it was a noble effort. I was envious of what she was able to do with Lya’s auburn curls, though, taming the waves and weaving in little gems to randomly placed braids. Anna’s deep brunette hair was done up in a sophisticated updo with curls framing her face, and even Jade’s chestnut waves looked professionally styled just down. I felt bland. I felt like an imposter surrounded by these ungodly gorgeous women. It
I think I've figured it out. The thing that makes me enjoy a werewolf story so much is when I can easily make a connection to the characters. As I don't turn into a wolf (although I think I have a true mate bond with my fiance), their human skin bears the weight of making these characters 'real.' Their actions, reactions, internal monologue - you know, the things that make you want to hang out for a sunny afternoon and smoke meats with Liam, or sneak away for a glass of wine to gossip with Rose. It's for that reason I tackled a very toxic relationship in this story. I see them written all the time, but so often, there's just this magical moment where everything changes. It makes me roll my eyes and put the book down. My characters have very real reactions to what it is like to live in that kind of situation. There were heavy, heavy topics here, and I applaud you all for sitting through and reading them. I seriously did consider putting additional trigger/content warnings a couple tim
Liam I wanted to be angry with Jade. Furious, really. Rose’s injuries had been much more significant than she thought, and worse than the bond indicated to me. After her second surgery, it was my bunny that reined me in, encouraging me to think about what her friend - my cousin - was going through. Rose was convinced Jade was taking a slow walk to a shallow grave. But, I knew better. The death of a mate, especially an unmarked mate, affects everyone differently. Thom had been mostly fine, I was dying at the same rate as Rose, and Jade was somewhere in the middle. I didn’t quite know how to tell Rose their bond was much more pathetic than ours had ever been. They would have committed to each other without ever imprinting on each other’s souls. They were dead wolves walking, so it was a strange sort of blessing that neither had to live like that anymore. If I was a good man, I would have reached out to my cousin, ensured she was holding up okay, but Cody had been there for her, a
Rose I didn’t want to tell LIam the way he was carrying me hurt, but I wasn’t sure how much longer I could take it. Everything probably would have hurt right now, though. I settled for distraction. “Is it over?” I mumbled. I could feel him tense against me. “Today it is, but the war is far from won.” I pursed my lips. “Seems anticlimactic. Lya made it sound like she got a better battle scene.” “You’re a scout,” he reminded me. “Your contribution will always be in the way of information and perception.” He was right. I was hopeful that over the next few days it would come to light that perception had changed, and this was all worth it. At the very least, I hoped we got important information out of the deal. Maybe they caught the traitors, or the wolf that had attacked me. “Did anyone die?” I asked quietly. It was silent. I didn’t even know if Liam would know the answer to that question. It was the voice of a person I hadn’t even realized was there that answered. “Onl
Liam I looked down at my hands, unsure if the blood covering them was my own. I was no longer in the chains I had been imprisoned by for the last day. Hell, I wasn’t even in my house, and I had no idea how I got to the middle of the forest surrounding Lake Solitude. The last thing I recalled was sensing my mate’s distress. SIlver burned her wrists the same as it had been doing to mine, and I felt the wolf of mine fight through the toxic bonds. He must have taken over. For a fleeting moment, I thought about the unfortunate fuck who had been put in charge of watching me. Oliver and Gregory left to supervise the Cold Moon transfers who were running “patrols” while Lya, Cody, and Brandon were assisting Jade in preparing the barely functional hospital for the influx of emergencies they expected to receive tonight. That had been an oversight. That left only poor Daniel as the last of the folks present who was fully aware of what was going on. He had been a pack warrior, but had trans
Rose Silver burned my wrists as my wolf tried to burst through, oblivious to the pain it was causing me. Nothing mattered to her other than getting to her mate. Vivian had stopped forcing the tea down my throat last night. I had thought my heat had to be over, but when I woke up in the middle of the night, shackled to the bed, I discovered I was wrong. So painfully wrong. They were actual silver chains this time, not just a rope laced with silver. Vivian had explained that it was because at this point in my heat, we needed to keep my wolf at bay as well, but I had hardly listened. The only thing I cared about was that I was here, and my mate was not. As soon as I was free, everyone would pay for this. It was a dumb plan, and they had been cruel to put me through this torture. I’d make Liam kill them all for me. I tried desperately to reach out to him, beg him to come rescue me, but the silver prevented even a taste of the bond. All I needed was a taste, though. Just the smalle
Liam I was getting twitchy. Rose had been gone for a grant total of three days, and I was well on my way to insanity. I was absolutely certain if I had to sleep a third night in a row without her, I wouldn’t want up. So I wasn’t sleeping. An illogical plan, but the only one that I foresaw as having any hope of working if the members of this pack wanted to stay alive when they asked stupid questions. I was teetering on the edge, trying to keep myself drunk enough that I legitimately could’t go find Rose and ruin the plan that had been orchestrated. I had called in sick today, and knew I would do the same thing tomorrow. Brandon would tell Oliver soon, and then one of the Alphas would start asking questions, but I couldn’t find it in me to care. Lya had done a good job of deflecting her mate’s curiosity, but it wouldn’t last forever. He was overprotective of both her and his pack, and as it stood, I was surprised he hadn’t noticed that Rose was now a rogue. That, or my sister
Rose The distance from my mate was getting to me. At the suggestion of everyone who knew my whereabouts, I didn’t reach out to Liam that night. I couldn’t sleep, the constant overstretching of the bond trying to pull us back together keeping me awake. “How do you do it?” I asked Vivian, bleary eyed and exhausted, over another cup of the anti-heat juice she kept forcing down my throat. “Hmm?” she hummed, not even turning from what she was cooking. “How do you maintain distance from your mate?” This question did cause her to turn, coming to sit at the table with me. She set a plate of food in front of me - some kind of meat she had hunted for a couple nights ago. I didn’t much care what it was, though. “You know how a rubber band or hair tie loses tension the more often it’s stretched to its limit without breaking?” I nodded. “It’s kinda like that. You get used to it, the distance it’s stretched has to be further to be noticeable. But, it takes a lot of overstretching to do th
Folks!!I missed an updating day! I'm so sorry to do this to you guys, but there will be NO updates the next few days for 'Chase.' I sat down yesterday and looked at the chapters to post, and I just... wasn't happy. In an effort to give you guys the best story possible, I'd like to give it a couple days and rework the ending that is in the pipeline. I don't want to be "that" author that takes a random hiatus, but it is more important to me that I give Rose and Liam the ending they deserve than just post a lackluster ending. Trust me, with the stuff I drafted yesterday, I think you guys will agree. I promise, this isn't going to be a long hiatus like I took from 'Run.' after my mom's death. Just give me until 1.23.23, and I'll have more chapters out for you. Maybe I'll even post in bulk instead of just a single chapter a day. ;) In the interim, maybe you'd like to go check out 'Run.' and see where this whole adventure started? If Snow Moon is burning you out, go visit 'Curse of a Ly
Liam I went out to every site my warriors were claiming to pick up rogue scents. I quickly noticed they were laced with Wulver, though. I clearly hadn’t been the only one thinking we needed to loop a rogue in on our cause. “Chandler’s mate,” Gregory confirmed, coming up next to me. “She came down with him.” I cocked an eyebrow. “I’m surprised he found his way out of his hiding spot.” Gregory smirked. “You know as well as anyone that not everyone needs to be combative to be useful. How many times has information he passed on saved the day?” “More than I’d like to mention,” I grumbled. Chandler was a good guy, but a rogue in every sense of the word - other than his bond to the Wulver Pack. “He really brought his mate with him?” His mate, however, was every bit a Wulver, but a true rogue. I always wondered why Vivian never joined the Wulvers, but right now, it was proving useful. He nodded in confirmation. “How are your scouts holding up without their fearless leader?” I chuck