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Chapter 33
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Chosen Mates, Stolen Fates Chapter 34
Kira I ignored Perrin’s texts, still too angry to respond. I hated arguing with him. I hated that he wasn’t listening to me. And I hated that I finally said out loud what I had been thinking for the last several weeks. But it was true. Everything about becoming Beta had felt overwhelming. The training; the politicking; the khakis were only the tip of the iceberg. If anything, I just felt like I didn’t belong. Sure, I beat Gowan. But what did that really prove? That I was some fraud with maximized speed? That I was just parading in Ethan’s shadow? And the worst part was that I was never going to be big enough or fast enough to get out of it. I stopped at Stella’s on the way to the archive, intent on stifling the sounds of my stomach and Perrin’s words with a special cappuccino and as many chocolate chip cookies as I could stuff in my mouth. Once I was completely full I left the shop, waving to the bubbly barista who now had my favorite drink down to a science. I stopped just
Chosen Mates, Stolen Fates Chapter 35
Deidre “What do you mean, she canceled training?” Cynthia paled as she informed me of her call with my daughter. “That is inexcusable,” I said tartly. I knew I was being harsh on Cynthia, but she was the only one I could trust with Kira’s etiquette training. Mistra had ignored any sense of ladylike decency of my daughter since she was a child. And Beta or not, she was going to be able to hold herself in civilized company. Cynthia was muttering something about khaki’s and I cut her off, directing her to negotiate time with Mark to ensure we had at least two hours with her a week. Two hours was better than nothing. And if that girl continued to keep up her training and spend time with the Alpha Guard, it would be more important than ever to maintain some semblance of civility and manners. And perhaps, even an ounce of femininity. She left my office and I sat quietly, staring at the top of my desk with intense focus. Why had Perrin asked about Nyllan’s Theoretical Text, Volume 3? N
Chosen Mates, Stolen Fates Chapter 36
Deidre And I had almost missed it, the single, minor reference to the man I had been hunting for weeks. I had found it reading through crop rotation guidelines and a seasonal calendar of when to grow the best herbs. “Lavender is best grown in the early spring, though buds from the previous bloom should be removed in the season prior to allow for the most growth.” I had skimmed the page, not caring about lavender this and lilac that, when its uses were outlined at the bottom of the page: “The blossoms are most fragrant and can be dried for use in herbal teas. When added to warm water such as baths, their aromas can be psychologically calming. And when blossoms are removed under the full moon and muddled, they produce the most powerful, natural sedative known to the werewolf species. Ingestion may cause one to sleep for up to three weeks at a time, reducing the heart rate to almost nothing; the body going into an almost death-like state.” A footnote at the bottom credited the source
Chosen Mates, Stolen Fates Chapter 37
Deidre Blinking away the images of those last two photographs that had burned themselves into my memory, I looked around at the Luna’s office now. My office. The sun had begun to set outside of my window. I set down my bourbon, now warm in the glass, and, returning my feet to the ground, carefully and quietly opened the hidden compartment within the desk. When I had stumbled upon this book so many years ago, I had disregarded it. The cover had held a small copper clasp, barring those from its contents. And while I could have forced the clasp open without the key, the mature side of me had recognized it to be a diary that the late Luna had kept. Her scent was all over it; the cover even adorned with a purple flower that was so… so Sienna. And at that point in my life, the curiosity of my youth had become overshadowed by the shoes of the beloved Luna I was trying to fill. That, and because of what Jason had done, and what our marriage truly was, I had left the diary unopened in a silen
Chosen Mates, Stolen Fates Chapter 38
PerrinPERRIN: How about dinner?KIRA: I’m too tired. Maybe tomorrow.She could have been lying, or blowing me off. But I wasn’t going to push it. She’d talk when she was ready.PERRIN: Did you get my texts from earlier?No response.PERRIN: Can we do breakfast at least? You can’t ignore me forever.KIRA: Fine.Fine. That was at least something.I had eaten with the Alpha Guard every evening so far this week. I could take one night off to myself. I walked down the hall, head still buzzing slightly from the lessons with my father. If I had ever thought my training for the Sacred Call had been physically challenging, what my father was attempting to teach me was equally taxing. I rubbed at my temples, willing the dates and policies and treaties he had spent hours instructing me on this afternoon to empty themselves from my brain. I was always a good student, but being taught by your father–and the Alpha–was next level pressure.I pulled out the keys and singled out the brass one, unloc
Chosen Mates, Stolen Fates Chapter 39
DeidreI closed the book and rubbed my eyes, leaning back in my chair.The room was dark; the fire had died hours ago. I glanced at the clock on my desk. It was almost 3:00 in the morning.I had barely noticed how cold my office was, or the deep shadows along the wall that the window had cast in the moonlight. But now that I wasn’t absorbed by the book in front of me, I shuddered, not sure if I was more chilled more by the dark room or by what I had just read. I put the book back into its compartment, unwilling to look at it again. Nyllan had indeed been a man before his time. I couldn’t have guessed at the contents of his work before I had read it, but I certainly understand now why his work would have been so threatening for his time. It was all deeply unsettling. It had the potential to be completely transformative; but I didn’t dare go there now.But as much as I didn’t want to admit it, the book had been compelling. The data was overwhelmingly convincing; his research methods–wh
Chosen Mates, Stolen Fates Chapter 40
PerrinNot only did it take Deidre’s interior designer less than an hour to call me back, Teagan had a team meet me outside of the Alpha Select Suite in half that time.Teagan was a short woman with giant glasses that made her look alarmingly like an insect. But she was dressed, ironed, and pressed to the nines, and courteous to point of Deidre-approved perfection. Which, I reminded myself, was the reason she was here.After her team of staff assistants brought in box after box of samples that they would assemble quietly in the background, I walked through the space of the Alpha Select Suite with Teagan. “I’m not really sure complaining about a space you designed is the best way to start,” I said apologetically, acknowledging the fact that I was standing in front of a professional designer and the she-wolf responsible for carrying out Deidre’s visions.She simply snapped the clipboard she had been taking notes on to her chest and looked at me. “Alpha Select–”“–Please, call me Perrin
Chosen Mates, Stolen Fates Chapter 41
PerrinIt was a rare day indeed when my father chose to forgo Charlie’s chauffeur services and to drive his own car.Personally, I never really understood the rush of driving; the twins loved their motorcycles. I enjoyed the quiet backseat and my own thoughts.But not this morning. And my father apparently shared the same love of the road that my best friend and Beta did, as he was on pace to put in record speed on the way to the infirmary. I grinned, thinking of the confused and slightly terrified look on Charlie’s face as we sped out of the pack house parking lot. We made our way inside, greeting Lorrie and heading back. To my surprise, we met Jennivah in the hall prior to racing Jesamine’s suite.“Good morning Alpha, Alpha Select,” she said.“Good morning, Ascended Jennivah,” my father said in return with equal formality. “Is my wife here?”Jennivah blinked. “I’m sorry, Alpha. I thought she was with you.”“Why would she be with me?” my father said. “She’s always here first thing.”
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Chosen Mates, Stolen Fates Chapter 160
Deidre“How about this?”Mistra shakes her head, the pink dress I’m holding not doing it for her. Of course it wouldn’t. Mistra only wears dark and… darker. Except for the day she came back from vacation. From ‘visiting her son.’ Here. In Texas.“How about this?” This dress is darker, with a slit up to the thigh that should make any she-wolf her age think twice.“Too revealing,” she dismisses it. The hangers clank loudly on the rack as she disapproves of yet another rack of options.“Mistra?” The clacking plastic stills in response. “You wore pink when you came back from Texas. You think I didn’t notice?”A considering pause follows, then, “I was in a different mood, then.”“Oh?”“Yes. It was… the fresh air.”“So logic would dictate the color would suit you now as well, wouldn’t it?”Another pause. “I suppose.”I thrust my arms around the corner of the clothing rack, holding the original pink once again. She grabs it reluctantly and holds it up to her chin in front of a full-length mi
Chosen Mates, Stolen Fates Chapter 159
Perrin The sound of my camera phone clicks and I don’t bother checking it before sending it to Lo. Then I switch shirts, and send another. PERRIN: Blue or green? LO: Either. They each bring out one of your eyes. LO: Goddess you look good. Before I can type a response, a video call from Lo pops up on the screen. I can tell based on the angle of the camera that she’s propped me up against a glass on Dina’s counter in the kitchen. “Hey there, beautiful.” Beautiful doesn’t do her justice, even mid-meal. Her eyes are bright and full of laughter, as if she’d just been joking with Dina. She munches on a carrot stick, grinning. “You know it’s not fair for you to just send me pictures like that.” She lowers her voice. “When you know I really want the other kind of picture.” I laugh, angling the camera so she can see my bare chest. “Gross,” I hear a mutter somewhere off-camera. “I’m not going to be attacked while I’m having lunch, Jack. You can be excused for ten.” “Thank Goddess.” Ja
Chosen Mates, Stolen Fates Chapter 158
Deidre “Fontaine?” I flick through my mental list of scholars. Nothing registers. “Well, if he’s not a medical scientist or researcher, I probably wouldn’t have heard of him.” Mark grunts, throwing his phone down next to his lunch plate. “I’ve got nothing. The internet is supposed to be helpful. All I have are a bunch of university papers and a bunch of research I can’t make heads or tales of.” “Ah yes. My husband’s Beta, ever the academic,” I smile over the brim of my cup. “Quit it,” Jason growls, absorbed in his own phone screen. “Janas is keeping tabs on him, but other than going back to the infirmary, he hasn’t done much apart from call a taxi to take him to a restaurant.” Mark blinks. “A restaurant?” “Yes,” I quip. “The social environment in which people elect to eat and enjoy one another’s company–not that you’ve been to one in the last ten years.” “Seriously?” Jason snaps, head swiveling between Mark and I. “This is the last thing we need.” “A restaurant is not a securit
Chosen Mates, Stolen Fates Chapter 157
Kira The tour was incredibly boring. Ben was professional and polite, wandering at a pace that Lo could keep up with, without getting breathless and being able to contribute to the conversation. It annoyed me how courteous he was. Jack spent most of the tour looking around inconspicuously for all of the cameras, finding their hidden reflective lenses in the niches of wood and leather around the Archives. From what I could tell, he’d found twenty-six of thirty. A flashing, toothy smile catches on another camera. Fine. Twenty-seven. They were just making the far side of the stacks, near the stairway that led down to the pack Archives, when Sirius became incredibly more interested. “And what are these?” He asked pointedly, looking at the stairs and the ropes that separated them off from prying visitors. “Ah. The Royal Archives of the Aperture Pack,” Ben said admiringly. “Home of our pack lineage, royal birth and marriage documents, copies of temple ceremony proceedings, and histori
Chosen Mates, Stolen Fates Chapter 156
Kira I watched through the screen as Lo’s baby bump proceeded the rest of her into the frame, extending her hand to greet Ben’s. It was more formal than I’d ever seen either of them interact; but I recognized the show. It was all about appearances. Impressing this scholar. A moment later Sirius eased into the frame, his height nearly blocking out all of Lo except her belly, his own graceful hand extending to capture Ben’s as they exchanged greetings. “Good morning, Professor–?” Ben opened warmly. Smooth. And good. Since I still had no idea what this guy’s last name has to do a thorough background check. I looked at my legal pad, tapping my pen on the blank page. Mark was clear with his instructions, and so far I wasn’t doing very well. “Oh! Just Sirius, please. No need for formalities.” Lo stepped out from behind Sirius, her face beaming with that pregnant glow of hers, despite the gray-scale of the monitor. “Sirius, this is Benjamin, the scholar and historian I was telling you
Chosen Mates, Stolen Fates Chapter 155
Kira Janas walked me through my controls. Eight screens, two keyboards, something that looked like an old-school joystick, and enough cords and plugs to cover the majority of the Luna’s office. I wondered what she’d think of it now; it’s usually pristine surfaces now covered in a jungle of electrical equipment. “Got that?” Janas said for nearly the seventh time. “Yes,” I muttered, sitting down in the seat behind the Luna’s desk. It was the last place I ever thought I’d sit, and shifted uneasily as I put down my crutches. The ruse was still necessary in case anyone came in here with Cynthia while I was working. I had felt the glances as Janas wheeled me in this afternoon, crutches across my lap as we passed the busy lobby of the pack house. Many offered greetings and wishes for a speedy recovery, all genuine. It made my back stiffen at the deception. I made a mental note to talk to Perrin about just how different his legacy was going to be from his father’s… and despite my own sel
Chosen Mates, Stolen Fates Chapter 154
BenMy alarm goes off, and I don’t even want to reach for my phone.It’d be great to stop the two-day hangover that plagues me. But something else entirely when I’ll look at my screen and realize Kira hasn’t called me back. Or texted.Not like she would.I roll over, swatting blindly at my bedside table until my phone drops onto the floor, vibrating and jittering across the cheap carpet like some strange bug.I test my eyes, flickering them open against my ceiling.Well. At least my hangover is gone today. I exhale. I’d rather have the pain of that hangover instead of the anger I feel at myself. Not just anger.Shame. Annoyance.And the worst part? The self-pity.I’ve drowned in the feelings of the last few days, addicted to the self-sabotage of not eating, not consuming anything and not trusting myself. I’ve been sober for years. And doing this now? Giving into temptation? I want to blame my thesis. My stupid failed research. I want to just burn all of it to Hell and back. But gnawi
Chosen Mates, Stolen Fates Chapter 153
Perrin“Holy shit.”Mark softly whistles behind me, unnerved at the site of it as we drive in. The Chiyad training facilities is enormous. No. gigantic. Whichever one is bigger.“This is where Ethan’s been training,” I say unnecessarily, awed at the outside of it. I wondered if Ethan could escape being the favorite for the Beta championship by just having access to state-of-the-art facilities. Mark doesn’t answer, but drives to a series of parking spots on the side of the building. “I know Ethan’s been working hard,” I go on as we get out of the car. “And Justin had only mentioned they were working on getting their facility renovation underway. Is this the before or after? They couldn’t have done all of this in just a few months.”Mark’s neck cranes to look up the side of the building. “I don’t know.”We walk into the large side entrance, automatic doors whooshing in around us with crisp, air-conditioned coolness. I blink twice as a discreet whirring sounds, a scanning of our bodies
Chosen Mates, Stolen Fates Chapter 152
KiraI set the phone down on the bedside table, pulling my blankets over me at the chill that had nothing to do with the temperature of my room.What the hell?But I couldn’t help but smirk. My gut instinct about the visiting wolf hadn’t been totally off. Something hadn’t been right about Sirius. Not wrong, per se… but definitely not normal. Were all European wolves that way? And how Mark had discovered our pack had a visitor less than twelve hours after they’d left? I didn’t know. Some type of Beta secret perhaps. He’d tell me in time. I was beginning to realize just how much I had to learn.I frowned, knowing Royhill would likely come pick me up in the morning. I stared at the clock. It was way past my bedtime. Not that I cared. I scratched at the stupid fake brace on my leg.On the positive side, apparently hiding away in the Luna’s office was going to be exactly what I was up to, the joke made earlier to Jesamine in jest or not. And sooner than I had anticipated; Naineeve was her
